The Secret Weirdness: The Maine Event
by CypherPen
Summary: In an alternate Secret World, even the myths and legends aren't completely what the humans say they are. Sometimes, they just don't know what they're talking about. Enter a world of semi-sentient zombies, heroic Draug, investigative vampires, half-immortal humans, and conniving spirits and you'll see a side of the secret world that is so weird, it's funny!
1. Prologue: Of Doomsday and Bad Luck

**Disclaimer: I own none of the works belonging to the author(s) and game designer(s) employed by Funcom, the makers of the Secret World, neither do I own any of the characters, factions, monsters, and places inside said media, save for those imagined and created by me.**

**Prologue: The Advent of Doomsday and one (Un)lucky Human.**

Somewhere in the Tokyo subway system, near Kaiden.

Unknown date and time...

For millennia and from previous ages, 'It' watched the human race as they advanced from scattered tribes of hunter-gatherers to glittering civilizations with gleaming buildings. 'It' watched and itched as its children inspired such wonder and terror in the sapient minds of that upstart race that they became the stuff of myths and legends. 'It' watched, itched, and seethed with fury as Gaia, its antithesis and brutal rival since creation, watched over that pathetic race like her own children, hindering its own ambitions and interfering with its plans. Now, in bitter irony, the humans are ruining the world with their petty wars and their toxic wastes, weakening Gaia and her precious bees to a point in which 'It' was no longer bound by forces that were only delaying the inevitable death of the human race. All it took was the foolish tinkering of the children of the eight-headed dragon and, alas, 'It' is now free to create a fifth age: one filled with darkness and, most importantly, devoid of the weak humans.

Now it is time for a hostile takeover... on a global scale.

Heralded by large groups of its mutated children, who were previously those of the eight-headed dragon, 'it' burst out of the confined darkness of the subway tunnels and into the surprised throngs of the human sheep. Many screamed as they tried to push their way out of the subway or into the safety of the trains. However, they were too slow and 'It' laughed as its children tore into them, dismembering and eating them in bloody frenzy. A few humans opened fire on its children with pathetic weapons, attempting to score some kills, all in vain. Guards? Soldiers? Officers? 'It' didn't really cared, since they too were fed to the rising darkness.

As its children started to convert the humans who were unlucky enough to get captured, thus making them worthy to exist among them, 'it' took a collective 'breath' and flooded the subway with a sound at a nearly inaudible frequency, a sort of deep, bell-like tone that doesn't seep through ears but rather though the mind. This black signal isn't just a victory cry or a relieved sigh; it is a global call to war. Soon, its children everywhere will gradually launch massive assaults on the human race, initiating that race's eventual fall into oblivion and better yet, there isn't a damnable thing Gaia and her bees can do about it.

The dark days are here...

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Random apartment, somewhere in London, England...

Nearly a week later...

7:32 AM

Opening the apartment door, Harumiya took a deep breath as she stretched her arms, a grocery bag in each hand. Shaking her head rapidly to shake off the fatigue, she walked over to the mini kitchen and set the bags onto the sink counter. Harumiya reached underneath her black and white striped shirt and scratched between her shoulder blades. At that very location was a large, strange circular tattoo she'd received in Taiwan so long ago. Every time she touched it, it tingled as if it has a life of its own. Currently, only she and the tattoo artist who'd drew it on her back know what it is capable of.

Turning on the radio, Harumiya listened to the newscaster as she dug in the fridge for milk, as well as some fruit.

_~"...terrorist attack on the headquarters of the multinational Orochi Group. It's been over a week since the first reports of widespread destruction in this now abandoned commercial district of Tokyo."~ _the female reporter announced. 

Dumping a couple of strawberries and a whole banana into a blender, Harumiya poured a cup of milk onto the mixture, planning to whip up a smoothie (though some pretty confused people kept insisting that it's a milkshake). She turned on the blender for a few minutes until the drink was nice and thick and poured it into a glass. Inserting a straw into the smoothie (yeah, it's a _smoothie_!), Harumiya took a sip as she turned around. The next thing she saw made her heart skip a beat.

Standing in front of her, just inches from her face, was a large, humanoid being. Hunched over by some sort of creepy crawler from a horror flick, the monster's pale skin was extremely wrinkled and melted, as if it had nearly been burned alive. Two leather straps looped around its huge head, one of which tightly covered its eyes. To add to the thing's grotesque features, its lipless mouth revealed darkened, diseased gums and rows of stained, razor-sharp teeth that were as long and slim as needles. Finally, its meaty hands bore thin fingers tipped with black nails sharp enough to gut and shred her with even a scratch.

When the monster growled, Harumiya choked as the stench of spoiled meat and rotten eggs invaded her nasal passages. Choking back the urge to vomit in the monster's face, thus risking its wrath, Harumiya paused as she recalled a dream she'd had three weeks ago. It involved another Asian woman facing down a similar beast, According to the dream, the Asian somehow caused intricate patterns of light to appear on her skin, allowing her to blast the monster away with a surge of fire that destroyed half of her apartment. When the monster returned with a vengeance, the woman finished it off with the slash of a fire-covered katana.

Needless to say, Harumiya knew what she had to do.

Concentrating, Harumiya continued to face the monster as she calmly drank her smoothie (Stop calling it a milkshake!), attempting the same feat as the Asian in her dream. She imagined herself becoming wreathed in flames moments before unleashing hell upon the monster. The monster tilted its head in confusion, wondering why the hell is its snack smiling at it instead of being horrified like the others. A drop of sweat fell down her forehead as she tensed visibly.

Unfortunately nothing happened, as either her usual periods of misfortune has come back full force or she didn't actually have any powers to begin with.

Taking a deep breath, Harumiya concentrated again, this time straining much harder. Amid her grunts and growls, the monster yawned and scratched its rear end. It then glanced at one of its wrists, only to remember that it didn't have a watch. Facepalming itself for its absentmindedness, the monster continued to watched as Harumiya strained herself. Indeed, Harumiya was straining pretty hard. In fact, she felt something building up inside her, forming in the pit of her stomach. It was growing... and growing.. and-.

_***PHOOOOT!***_

Gasp in shock and embarrassment, Harumiya cursed her luck as she blushed heavily. It was one thing for nothing to happen on the first try but to accidentally break wind on the next try...

Licking its mouth with a large, purple tongue, the monster took a step forward. Making an audible _*gulp*, _Harumiya whimpered in fear as she backed away. Unfortunately, as the monster continued to keep in pace with her steps, Harumiya froze in terror when she bumped into the sink counter behind her. Realizing that its prey was now cornered, the monster rose straight up on its hind legs, its claws posed for a fatal slice.

"I'm sick of always... dying," Harumiya whimpered, tears flowing down her cheeks.

However, the monster have no pity and the last thing Harumiya did was to give a loud _*eep* _moments before the monster shredded her, splashing her blood onto the walls of the mini kitchen.

'''''''''''''''''''

Same apartment room

20 minutes later...

Amid a puddle of drying blood and torn clothing laid the gnawed bones of a very unfortunate young woman of Japanese descent. The monster who'd ate her was nowhere in sight, though noises coming from the direction of the TV meant that it wasn't gone yet. Suddenly, a strange smoke rose from the bones as the teeth marks on the surfaces rapidly disappeared. Soon, new tissue and organs formed into existence as the body was eventually restored to normal. Opening her eyes, Harumiya looked around until her eyes fell upon her unclothed form. With a small _*eep*, _she quickly covered herself, cursing her string of bad luck.

"That stupid tattoo could as least restore my clothes too," she grumbled. Sitting up, she reached into a drawer and pulled out an apron. Standing up, Harumiya put on the apron and stretched, still feeling the pain of being killed. At that moment, she was aware that her TV was on and something was giving off a demonic laugh. Taking a frying pan off the stove, Harumiya stealthy crept out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Sitting on the couch was none other than the monster who'd killed her. Approaching the monster from behind, Harumiya narrowed her eyes in confusion when it laughed again, obviously enjoying itself with watching something on TV. Taking one look at what it was watching, Harumiya became really annoyed that the monster have the audacity to watch one of her favorite shows, specifically one about her favorite Mexican comedian.

_~"Just for the record, I'm not big, I'm fluffy," Gabriel Iglesias was saying. "There's five levels of fatness, fluffy is one of the levels. There's big, healthy, husky, fluffy, and DAMN!"~_

The monster chortled loudly at the joke, slapping its knees. Though it was also her favorite joke, Harumiya wasn't feeling it today and she simply rolled her eyes at the monster's antics as she inched closer to it, just as it laughed again at another joke. Closing her eyes, Harumiya raised the pan higher as she closed with the monster by another foot after foot after foot...

_***BONG!***_

After the monster have stopped in mid-laughter, Harumiya opened her eyes, expecting it to be lying on the floor unconscious. However, her heart sank when she found it rubbing its head, a bump forming on the surface. Dropping the pan, Harumiya gave a loud _*gulp* _as the monster turned its head toward her. It then gritted its teeth as it gave a savage snarl, already readying itself for a pounce.

Tears flowing down her face, Harumiya gave a small fearful whimper as she backed away. "You may go ahead and watch the television," she squeaked, giving a nervous chuckle. "I'd just go in the back room and-"

Before she could take another step, the monster leaped at her, knocking her onto the floor. Hitting the floor hard, Harumiya screamed as the monster ripped and tore through her apron and skin, eventually reached her abdominal cavity . Harumiya screamed louder as the monster tore loose her intestines and organs, slinging them across the room. In vain she tried to slap the monster off of her, only to anger it further. With a loud roar, the monster reached into her body and, clamping its teeth around her heart, yanked it free. The sudden loss of the organ caused her blood pressure to drop steeply and she found her world becoming darker... again. Before she finally died, Harumiya caught a glimpse of the monster chewing her heart up before swallowing it in one big gulp.

''''''''''''''''''''''''

Same apartment room

20 minutes later...

Fully regenerated and in one piece, Harumiya finally opened her eyes, feeling a dull stomach and chest pain. Fatigued, she looked around until her eyes fell on the frying pan she'd dropped earlier. Grabbing the frying pan, Harumiya stood up, only to hear a soft growling behind her. Slowly turning around, Harumiya saw that the monster have been waiting for her to come back to life. Already, it was preparing another leap.

"*_Sob* _Oh, not again," she whined as the monster launched itself at her. Fortunately for her, it ended her life by decapitation.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''

Same apartment room

20 minutes later...

Fully regenerated and healed for the umpteenth time, Harumiya groggily woke up, now experiencing stomach, chest, _and_ neck pain. With a weary sigh, Harumiya moved her right hand, pausing when she felt the hard, iron handle of the frying pan. Renewed with vigor, Harumiya gingerly stood back up, expecting the monster to be waiting for her. Soon enough, she heard the familiar growling and turned to face the source. Now sick of dying repeatedly, Harumiya decided that, this time, she must win.

"Come on, you disgusting bastard," she growled as the monster crouched again for yet another pounce. "I'm sick of playing games. It's time to end this."

With a roar, the monster leaped at her, just as predicted. With a loud scream, Harumiya swinged her frying pan in a wide arc, surprising herself when the weapon connected.

"_**BONG!"**_

The monster was stunned when it found itself knocked senseless by the pan. However, the momentum of its leap caused it to slam into Harumiya before rolling into one of the living room's walls. Getting back up, Harumiya gingerly check for broken ribs with her free hand. Finding none, she got into a combat stance as the monster got back up, running its claws through places where there were some missing teeth. Nothing could've prepared Harumiya for what came next.

Immediately, the monster flew into a frothing rage, swinging its claws everywhere as if to rip up the entire place. Furniture were shredded, hanging pictures were sliced up, even a window was shattered by a stray claw.

With a small _*eep*, _Harumiya held out the frying pan life a useless shield as the monster attacked it viciously, trying to get to her. Its demonic roars added to the cacophony of nails being drawn against cast iron, as well as her panicked squeals. Her neighbors in the rooms surrounding her own were beating on the walls from their end, irritated about the uproar she was causing. Realizing that the landlord could be on his way to her room, Harumiya decided that she must end this fight _pronto_. Gambling on a very risky move, Harumiya quickly moved to the side, expecting the monster's claws to catch her. However, the move caused the monster to lose its balance, causing it to stumbled. However, not giving it the chance to regain its balance, Harumiya whacked it with the pan, causing it to back up.

It seemed that her periods of good fortune have replaced those of misfortune, though God knows how long they would last.

As the monster stumbled backward toward the broken window, Harumiya launched herself at it, unleashing a series of hits.

_***BONG!* *BONG!* *BONG!***_

Despite getting hammered by Harumiya's attacks, the monster was getting even more pissed. Ducking under a swing, it striked, impaling Harumiya onto its claws. Coughing up a glob of blood, Harumiya grunted when the monster threw her across the room. Hitting the wall with a sickening *_crunch_*, Harumiya slumped over as she bled to death. As the monster slowly approached her, Harumiya managed to look up for a moment before finally dying, her mouth dropping open as her head flopped back down lifelessly.

As the monster slowly and warily closed with Harumiya's body, a bee flew into the living room through the broken window. When the bee buzzed around the monster's head, it growled in annoyance as it tried to swat it away. Deftly dodging the monster's futile attacks, the bee flew over to Harumiya and landed on her forehead. When the monster took another step, the bee lifted off and, without warning, flew into Harumiya's mouth. Soon enough, smoke was rising from her now healing chest wound as she began to stir.

"Who are you people?" she mumbling dreamily as if sleep-talking. "Hey, what are you two talking about and what's with the bees? Hey wait, don't leave, I want a jar of honey, please."

Realizing its prey was alive again, albeit much more quicker than normal, the monster readied itself to attack Harumiya again just as soon as she opened her eyes. Already, they were stirring underneath the lids. Licking its chops hungrily, the monster crouched lower, obviously loving this regenerating snack. There is no way it would ever go hungry again.

Suddenly, Harumiya's eyes opened up. Seeing the move, the monster was just beginning to leap when the unexpected happened: twin beams of a strange, bluish energy spewed out of Harumiya's eyes. Immediately, the monster was pushed into the opposite wall by the beams, when it collapsed onto the floor after leaving a huge dent in the sheetrock.

Gradually, unknown forces levitated Harumiya into the air and after a buildup of energy, she unleashed it skyward, the beams ripping through the rooms above her and surprising their occupants. As the forces settled her onto her feet, Harumiya's head jerked up when she heard a loud howl of rage. Having been unexpectedly knocked senseless twice, the monster have had enough. Now, it was bent on killing the girl however many times it would take until she was permanently dead. Breathing fast as the shrieking monster closed the remaining meters, Harumiya held out her hands in defense when it finally leapt at her. Suddenly, a huge blast of energy erupted from her hands, slamming into the monster head on. This time: however, the monster was knocked into an adjacent wall, tearing through it as it flew over the nearby street into the morning air, surprising the few who were still around. The monster rolled into an alley until its unconscious, smoking form stopped into a sitting position, right next to a sitting, homeless midget. Wearing a mix-match assortment of clothing, including an orange helmet and a pair of circular lens shades, the midget looked the monster up and down before chuckling derisively.

"They sure know how to fry 'em big these days, right mate?" he asked with a North London accent, turning to a hand puppet on his left hand, The puppet in question was dressed like a king, complete with a scepter and a felt cloth crown.

"_That's right, mate," _the puppet 'said' with a faux voice. _"In fact, the bees are really buzzing today and in greater numbers too. It must be one heck of a storm that's coming."_

"Oh, that's reminds me: it's time to talk to the good people of London. Can't keep 'em waiting."

Getting up, the midget dusted off his clothes and, taking one last look at the monster, made his way toward Earlwic Park.

Collapsing onto her knees and even more fatigued, Harumiya covered herself with a loose curtain and slowly fell asleep. Though someone was knocking on the door, perhaps the landlord, Harumiya was too tired to even move an inch. By the time the door was kicked down and a squad of soldiers decked in red, white and black body armor entered, training their weapons here and there, she was fast asleep.


	2. Chapter 1: Young Fangs, Ancient Blood

**Disclaimer: I own none of the works belonging to the author(s) and game designer(s) employed by Funcom, the makers of the Secret World, neither do I own any of the characters, factions, monsters, and places inside said media, save for those imagined and created by me.**

**Chapter 1: Young Fangs, Ancient Blood.**

Rackham Theater

London, England

8:45 pm

One day later...

It was one of the most exciting times in the lone movie theater in the Ealdwic district of London. During this time, foreign movies with critical acclaim are shown on the silver screen, much to the delight of all. American movies such as 'Spider-Man 3'' and James Cameron's 'Avatar', are pretty hot this time of year and, like countless others, are gobbled up by the hungry masses.

Currently, another popular movie named 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter' was being shown tonight. Many members of the audience gripped the armrests of their seats as the intense fight scenes played out. Already, many of them have it in their minds to purchase the DVD whenever it comes out while a few unscrupulous people secretly recorded the movie on hidden camcorders and phones in hopes of making pirated CD's. However, to be fair, it would be accurate to say that at least one person found the movie offensive.

"This movie is yet another product of humanity's uneducated bias against vampires!" a young woman hissed loudly, her pale skin taking the hue of the movie's lighting. Having a head of thick, golden ringlets, the woman was wearing a sky-blue camisole and black bell-bottomed jeans, with the sandals and purse to match. Her red wine-colored eyes gleamed angrily in the dark theater.

In the current scene of the movie, William Johnson, the titular character's earliest friend, was fighting vampires on top of the train with his pistols. When he turned toward the rear of the train, a male vampire appeared out of the fog and smoke, baring his diseased and slobbery fangs.

Even more infuriated, the young woman nearly jumped out of her seat. "Foolish humans, you dared portray vampires as filthy monsters?!" she growled. "Vampires actually do brush and floss _twice_ a day!"

"Shh!" several of the nearby viewers hissed. One of them, a man who looked to be in his late thirties, shook his head.

"Loud mouthed loony," he muttered.

Keeping herself under control, even barely, the woman settled down as she ignored the man's comment. Unfortunately for her, the saddest parts of the movie were about to unfold.

First, she shed a tear as the vampires were brutally murdered by the human duo. Next, she watched in silent horror as Adam, her vampiric hero and favorite character in the movie, was killed when the mass murderer that was the titular character smashed his silver pocket watch into his chest after wrapping the chains around his fist. Afterwards, she looked on with cold hatred as that vampiric traitor Henry Sturges rescued the two cold hearted killers from the falling train and the burning bridge.

Just as heartrending is the scene when Vadoma foolishly charged Mary Todd, Lincoln's wife, in the middle of the Union camp, only to get shot in the head by the vengeful human woman, whose son Vadoma killed.

Finally, the saddest part of the movie was taking place. As the 'vampire murderer', as she'd called him, was delivering his Gettysburg address, the movie showed scenes of the now leaderless and desperate vampires throwing themselves at the Union battle lines, only to be brutally massacred by silver-laced bullets, bayonets, and cannon shells. Of course, the young woman didn't agree with the vampires' use of the slave trade but that didn't give the humans the right to massacre them!

Unable to take it anymore, the young woman began bawling, much to the chagrin of others. "Oh, why do humanity have to be so cruel?" she sobbed, tears flowing down her cheeks. In the dim lighting, one could tell that she has elongated fangs if they bothered to take a closer look. "*_sob* *sob_* All the vampires wanted to do is to come out of the shadows. They *_sob* _they wanted a country of their own. Is that too much to ask for?!"

"Shut up!" another young woman snapped nearby.

"Yeah!" an older man agreed. "Go back to the bloody asylum or whatever!"

"Shush, we're trying to enjoy a movie here!" another man whined.

Gritting her teeth in fury, the woman turned toward the offending person and hissed like a cobra, baring her fangs. Taken back at first, the man narrowed his eyes when he saw her fangs. To the woman's surprise, he burst out laughing.

"Look here, chaps!" he announced, pointing at her. "This girlie's cosplaying as a bloody vampire! No wonder she's boo-hooing at the 'wrongful deaths' of those suck-heads!" A large number of people laughed at the young woman.

"THEY'RE NOT SUCK-HEADS! THEY'RE MUCH MORE THAN WHAT YOU HUMANS ARE EVEN WORTHY OF BECOMING!" she screeched. Several people gasped when the lens of their glasses cracked.

**-"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to please leave the premises."- **The theater intercom blared. A telltale laser beam landed on the woman's chest.** -"You are being disruptive. Please leave or I'll call the coppers."-**

"I was just on my bloody way outside!" she growled as she pushed her way to the aisle amid the hisses and silent jeers of the people. Pushing through the double doors, she angrily hissed to herself as she eventually exited the theater, the ticket and concession clerks looking on with confusion.

"Stupid humans think that just because they finally know how to record videos, that gives them the right to badmouth us vampires! Why before they were even born, 'theater' was actually performed by live actors! Next, they'll have the media play the role of psychologists and politicians, filling people's heads with junk and molding their minds into planned thought patterns and beliefs. I swear that the human race is going to enslave itself and turn into a collection of mindless machines-."

Suddenly, the woman's phone ringed. yanked out of her ramblings, she finally mustered the will to answer it. Pressing the appropriate button, the woman held the phone up to her ear and answered, "Yes?"

"Constantina!" the person responded, shouting as if it was an emergency. "Madame Kristiana wanted me to remind you of practice at 10:30 pm!"

Checking the time, Constantina gave a loud and annoyed sigh. "Melody," she said levelly. "What did I tell you about not making a big deal out of something that's more than enough time away?"

"Oh right, you want me to calm down and to breath in and out." Calming down, Melody continued, this time more relaxed. "Anyway, are you finished with your movies?"

Constantina sniffed back tears as she recalled the horrible fates of those poor vampires. "Don't mention it."

"Have you seen 'Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer'? It makes for a real horror movie. I _loved_ horror movies! The titular character is my favorite-"

"_Melody_, when I see you again, I'm going to strangle you with my bare hands, you hear me?!" Constantina screeched, her high-pitched voice barely audible.

"*_Gulp_* Ahahaha, no need to go all Bloody Mary on me. Umm... _don't kill me, please_." Melody quickly hung up.

Putting up her phone, Constantina rubbed her temples as she gave a quick sigh. Of course Melody is like a little sister but sometimes she is too childish and naive for her own good.

Wanting to blow off some steam, Constantina walked down the street, in the general direction of the Pangaea clothing store. However, she wasn't interested in doing any shopping and Constantina only gave the store a casual look before walking further, eventually stopping at the junction of Redcrosse Circus and a small bystreet that's a part of Via Antiqua. Constantina knew that if she turned right, she would be facing the entrance to Temple Hall, home of her race's worst enemies: the Templar.

Constantina cringed at the thought of being too close to the enemy's doorstep. Long ago, before the Templar set up shop in England, this land was secretly ruled by great vampire houses who used loyal humans by day and their own appointed public servants by night to influence the Royal Family and Parliament in both subtle and not so subtle ways to advance their own agendas, including an eventually unsuccessful plan to annex Ireland, Scotland, and Wales to England, thus turning the United Kingdom into a single country. However, when the foolish human king allowed the Templar to live here after being hunted down by Pope Clement V and King Philip IV's forces, things went downhill from there. Almost immediately, the Templar launched a massive campaign of vampire hunting, capturing people who were either accused of being vampires themselves or aiding those who are vampires before burning them at the stake. Entire vampire houses were massacred, along with their human collaborators in the secret 'English Reign of Terror'. A similar event would happen in France nearly nine hundred years later, as the French bourgeois, most of whom are vampires, are likewise executed, this time by the use of the guillotine, a machine that exploits another of a vampire's weaknesses: decapitation.

It took the start of World War I for the Templar to finally take their minds off of killing vampires. By that time; however, only a few great houses remained, including her own, and were now in hiding. However, the Romanian and Transylvanian vampires, known collectively as the strigoi by the members of the houses, were roaming their homelands in greater numbers and let's just say that the relationship between the two groups is a bit... strained.

Having an idea, Constantina took out a red permanent marker and, looking around to make sure no one was watching, wrote on a wall in huge, bold letters: **'TEMPLAR SUCKS'**. Chuckling at her private joke, Constantina put up the marker and was about to leave when she heard someone clear his or her throat behind her.

"Ahem."

Believing it to be a police officer who was walking the beat, Constantina slowly turned around, trying to act naturally just like just another regular person. However, her blood froze when it turned out to be even worse.

Standing before her was not one but three people, Unlike the navy blue uniforms of the coppers, they wore the particular red and white attire that immediately filled her with fear and dread. They were the Templar and they continued to glare at Constantina with disapproval as she squirmed visibly. However, Constantina nearly fainted in sheer terror when she recognized the old woman who was standing between the two male Templar.

_"~It's Dame Julia Beatrix Tyburn, the 'Vampire Hunter'~!" _her mind screamed as the aforementioned woman approached her, her trademark, two-handed sword gleaming in the streetlights. Already, Constantina can smell the bitter tinge of silver laced within the blade. The two Templar men followed suit, the telltale bulges of concealed weapons poking through their coats.

"Well, well, well, looks like we caught ourselves a prankster, " Julia mused, stopping a few meters from Constantina. Looking her up and down, she then added, "And no doubt a pretty one, at that!"

Her expression becoming serious, Julia got much closer, towering over an uncomfortable Constantina, who figured that to force this old woman into a nursing home would be to sign one's own death sentence. "So, tell me, what do you have against the Templar, hmm sweetheart?" Her tone was dead serious, as if a murderous rage was just below the surface.

"Umm...I-I was just joking, " Constantina stammering, chuckling nervously. "I mean, I was j-just bored, so I..."

Julia was not impressed. "Typical of young people these days, " she grumbled, folding her arms across her chest. "Back in my days, if a boy or girl was caught doing such childish things, they were immediately stripped down to their bare bottoms and given a whipping they wouldn't easily forget. Nowadays, discipline is shamefully lax. No wonder there's much more violence and disrespect."

Nervously digging a toe into the street, Constantina fought to regain composure. "So, um, does this means I can go now?"

Leaning closer until her face was just inches from that of Constantina, Julia's eyes bored into those of Constantina. Suddenly, Constantina realized that this woman could simply kill her without even a thought, especially once she finds out that she's a vampire. Until she was far from this place as possible, Constantina was at the mercy of this she-lion, uncertain that she would even survive this ordeal.

"Return here at 9 am in the morning sharp and be prepared to scrub some windows and I promise that I won't press charges, you savvy?" she finally said.

"Yes ma'am," Constantina lied, hoping that Julia would buy it.

"Good." As Julia was about to pull back, she realized something about Constantina. Leaning a bit closer, Julia slowly remarked, "By the way, your eyes look lovely tonight. They kind of remind me of that fellow I... took care of two weeks ago."

"_~Oh Gaia~, " _Constantina froze in fear when Julia became much more suspicious.

Standing straight up, Julia reached into one of her pockets. Watching her hand, Constantina's pupils constricted in sheer terror when she pull out a silver spoon. Struggling to control her breathing, Constantina watched as Julia raised the spoon up to eye level.

"Before I let you go," Julia was saying, a predatory smile on her face. "I'm going to run a little test. If you pass, you may go home. If you fail, well... I'll leave it to your imagination."

Constantina held her breath as the old Templar slowly moved the spoon toward her face. She knew that, if the spoon touched her, her skin would burn at the point of contact, thus revealing her to be a vampire. However, if she attempted to run away or knocked the spoon away, her identity would be revealed as well. Because Julia was grasping the hilt of her sword with her free hand and her two goons were also grasping their concealed weapons, Constantina knew that she wouldn't get very far.

"_~This is it~, " _she thought, bracing herself for her eventual death.

Just as the spoon was about to touch her left cheek; however, Julia's phone rang. Annoyed by the interruption, she replaced the spoon and answered the phone. "What is it, Pete? _What_, how dare you neglect to do such an important task?! Your foolish antics has cost me greatly! _Grrr_, you'd better be hiding now because when I find you, I'm going to tie you up into a pretzel and shove you into the incinerator! Bye!"

Her face flustered, Julia hung up the phone, Shoving the phone back into her pocket, the aging Templar gave a loud sigh. "Bloody excuse for a secretary forgot to record the special episode of 'Doctor Who', " Julia lamented, covering her face with a hand. "Oh God, I'm going to miss it! I wanted to see it so bad!"

Noticing that Constantina was still around, Julia sighed and gave her a dismissive wave. "Away with you, child," she grumbled. "However, the next time I catch you writing junk on our property again, I will personally chop you up into stew meat, you savvy?"

"Without a doubt, ma'am," Constantina nodded furiously.

"Come on, boys," Julia spoke to the two Templar as she walked toward Temple Hall. "Lets return to HQ."

The two Templar gave Constantina warning glares before following their superior, disappearing around the corner.

Constantina gave a sigh of relief as she held her chest. Though technically her heart doesn't beat, it was just a feeling of having just narrowly escaped death. Checking the time, Constantina saw that it was 10:07 at night. Heading back south, Constantina looked around until she located one of the usual dead zones where the street cameras couldn't see. The thing about the Templar is that they may have filled London with more cameras than an American airport but their technicians were too lazy and arrogant to eliminate these dead zones. Thus, vampires could easily infiltrate London using these zones, with the Templar being none the wiser.

After entering the zone, Constantina took one more look around to make sure no one else was watching and crouched. Having build up enough force, Constantina leaped onto a nearby roof and began running along the rooftops, jumping over gaps between the edges. Seeing a particularly large gap ahead, Constantina ran faster before jumping at the last minute. She finally herself soaring in the night air, high above the late night London traffic below. The flight was breathtaking, as if she was really flying, much like a bird in flight. Finally, she landed on the other roof in a roll, getting back onto her feet without even a break in speed.

She _loved_ being a vampire.

After a few minutes of running, Constantina arrived at the edge of a roof overlooking a cemetery, gazing at a lone mausoleum in the distance. Looking over the edge of the roof to make sure that no humans were around, Constantina leaped off the roof and over the cemetery fence, landing on the soft grass without a sound. She then ran for the mausoleum, being careful not to step on or trip over freshly dug graves. Finally, she arrived at the mausoleum.

Grabbing onto the chipped stone handle of the stone door, Constantina tugged at it until it slid open. Entering the interior of the mausoleum, Constantina took one look at the open air before closing the heavy door.

Able to see much more clearly in the pitch black darkness than the humans' best night vision goggles, Constantina stepped around the lone sarcophagus in the center of the mausoleum as she made her way toward the opposite wall. Embedded on the wall was a lone amethyst gem which would shine like a miniature sun when exposed to light. Placing a finger in her mouth, Constantina bit down on it, drawing a small amount of blood. She then smeared her blood onto the amethyst, turned back toward the sarcophagus, and waited. Soon enough, a panel on the floor moved the sarcophagus out of the way, revealing a stone stairway that was just as dark as the mausoleum. Entering the stairway, Constantina smeared blood onto a second amethyst embedded into the wall and continued walking as the panel moved the sarcophagus back into its normal position, blocking access to the stairway. Ahead of her, ancient machines and gears clicked as the booby traps ahead were disabled. Constantina walked down the hallway the steps led to for a few minutes until she arrived at a large iron door. Calmly, she knocked on it, the clanging echoing throughout the hallway.

A panel slid back, revealing a pair of amber-colored eyes that glared black at her. "What's the password?" the person demanded.

Rolling her eyes, Constantina returned an even more intense glare, so intense that the person on the other side of the door whimpered slightly. "The password is 'Let-me-in-or-I'll-rip-out-your-bloody-fangs-and shove-them-down-your-bloody-throat'."

After the person closed the panel, Constantina waited while several bolts were slid back. When the door finally opened, Constantina found herself staring at a younger female vampire whose white hair was styled into a long bob-like cut with two tiny ponytails. She wore a pink, short sleeved blouse and a black frilly miniskirt, along with gray stockings and red knee-high boots. To Constantina, she looked like a miniature Lady Gaga with a horrible sense of fashion.

"I was expecting you to be hiding after our little chat over the phone, Melody," Constantina finally muttered as she closed and locked the door after herself.

Melody looked as if she'd rather be somewhere else. "Well, the matriarch wanted me to do door duty for a few hours," she said, feeling dejected. "I do not think she's forgotten that little fiasco involving me and that human boy earlier."

Though Constantina was surprised that Melody had actually managed to get into trouble this early into the night, she decided that it would be best to not know the details of the incident. With Melody, it is wise to leave the rest of her antics to imagination.

"Well be a good little girl and do not let in any Templar, bogeyman, or tax collector," Constantina smirked, patting Melody on the head. "Can you do that for us? Is it going to be too hard to do?"

Melody folded her arms and pouted. "It's just a _door_. I'll just tell them that nobody's here."

"It would be best if you raise the alarm _before_ doing anything else," Constantina reminded her before walking down the lone hallway that led to the living area. Punk rock music was coming from the room. Sighing, Constantina muttered yet another curse on the artists of the genre, being partial to both classical and country rock music, before entering. In the dimly lit room, another female vampire who was older than Constantina sat on the huge couch, humming to the tune of the music as she drew something on a sheet of paper while licking a bright red popsicle. Having her black hair with purple streaks tied back into a long ponytail, she was wearing a black and blue leather jacket with shoulder spikes, a steel-gray shirt with a favorite death-metal band logo, black skin-tight leather pants with metal studs around the ankles and belt line, a pair of steel-toe platform boots that appeared to be too big for her feet, and three piercings on her left eyebrow, plus one on her bottom lip. She also wore shale-grey eye shadow that accented her dark purple lipstick. It was once said that vampires introduced the emo and gothic subcultures to the humans but Constantina didn't want to be reminded of that.

"Hi Constant," the girl simply muttered, still having her purple eyes glued to her drawing. 

"Hello, Erisa. Good nighttime, " Constantina returned the greeting. She then glanced at her drawing. "So, what are you drawing?"

Erisa held up the paper as Constantina leaned closer for a closer look. It was the drawing of a tentacled monster with bat-like wings who appearing to be dismembering another tentacled being with a circular head and a sausage-like nose. Confused beyond belief, Constantina mustered the courage to asked, "Who are these two things?"

Shrugging, Erisa gave a small grin, her fangs gleaming in the soft light. "Oh nothing, just Cthulu butchering the hell out of Squidward. I dreamed about it so I decided that it was the perfect scene to draw."

"Okay... so you're also into octopus-on-octopus violence. Hmmm..., so why don't you try Doc Oc. and Davy Jones from 'Pirates of the Caribbean'?"

Erisa's grin became fiercer. "I'll try that one out. Thanks for the idea. Oh yeah, I almost forgot..."

Digging into a pocket, Erisa pulled out a small plastic vial containing a thick red liquid, which she tossed to Constantina. Catching the vial, Constantina held it out in her palm and inspected it. "What is this stuff?" she asked her.

"One of the HemoTastes that just came in yesterday night. It adds the taste of blood to any human food and drinks. It's kinda like Mio, except that it's for vampires. Enjoy."

Pocketing the HemoTaste, Constantina smiled. "Thank you so much, Erisa. For the first time since I faced Dame Julia earlier, I'd never felt so happy."

Suddenly, Erisa stopped moving her pencil and looked up at Constantina, wrinkling a blow in silent shock. "You picked a fight with the 'Vamp Murderer'?"

Constantina quickly shook her head. "No, no, no! Actually, she came to me and tried to test me with a silver spoon. Luckily, she got distracted so I gave her the slip." Constantina figured that it was best not to tell the entire story. If her mother found out that she was a hair's breath away from Temple Hall, she'll...

Erisa was not convinced. "I'd met Julia before and even I know that the Templar hag won't bother you unless you do anything suspicious. Were you caught licking your lips when emerging from a dark alley? You know that we're not allowed to bite anybody while in the UK. We have to knock the victim out first, then use the needles and tubes so that the Redcoats won't suspect a thing."

Constantina shrugged. "She just said that I 'look suspicious', that is all. Maybe she has a vendetta against younger looking women or something. I mean, she's probably older than King Tutankhamen for all I bloody know."

Shaking her head slowly, Erisa went back to drawing. "Whatever," she finally said. "Just don't cross paths with her again."

Secretly breathing a sigh of relief, Constantina bid her farewell before leaving the living area through a door on the other side. She walked pass several rooms and corridors, greeting every vampire and werewolf she met, until she'd arrived at the double doors that led to one of the various training rooms. Using a computer attached to a panel beside a door to make sure that the room wasn't pass the safe capacity limit, Constantina opened the doors and went inside.

"You're late."

Blinking in surprised, Constantina checked the time, her mouth gaped in silent shock when she found out that it was only 10:32 PM. Putting up her phone (she hated wearing watches), Constantina averted her eyes toward the person who'd just spoken to her.

Sitting on a black stool at the center of a large, empty room, surround by clay practice dummies was none other than Madame Kristiana Coris. Wearing a dark red, knee length cheongsam with a split skirt and a black rose design on the front, Kristiana's shoulder-length auburn hair was tied into a French braid. Her piercing, sky-blue eyes showed a lifetime of experience and annoyance at Constantina's tardiness. This is one instructor you do not want to disappoint.

After Constantina have gotten close enough, Kristiana stood up and began to circle Constantina, as if looking for any flaws in her attire and character that displeases her.

"I've been fighting alongside your mother for many centuries, both against the hateful humans and against monsters who often mistake us for food," Kristiana spoke, folding her hands behind her back. "After we decided to settle down, I watched as your mother and father, Gaia rest his essence, raised three beautiful children: you, your brother Richard, and your eldest sister, Pricilla. I'd even grieved with your parents when Richard was slain by the Templar and when Pricilla, disillusioned by your house's general lack of action, defected over to House Tredafar. Thus, you are technically your mother's only child."

Constantina hung her head low, still coping with that terrible string of events. To this day, she still longed for her dead brother and her sister.

"However," Kristiana interjected, bringing Constantina back to attention. "Do not think that I would go easy on you just because you're the successor to House Alderridge. The hammer's on you much harder than on your future servants. You have a much higher bar to leap over and I expect nothing less than a perfect flip. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Madam, "Constantina nodded, a determined look on her face.

Kristiana sneered, baring her fangs. She then motioned to a trio of racks standing nearby. The first rack was filled with straw dolls with runes painted on their bodies. The second rack contained identical books with leather straps attached to the binding so that their can be wore as backpacks. Finally , the third rack contained masks of different shapes and sizes, each with a long strap for wearing over the shoulder. "Then show me that you'd paid attention to all of those lectures over the course of those years!"

Constantina walked over to the first rack and chose a straw doll. Hooking the doll to the waistband of her jeans, she got into position at a safe distance and got into a combat stance, muttering a quick incantation. Soon enough, sparks flew from her hands before they gave way to electricity that arced over her fingers. With a signal, Kristiana smirked as five of the practice dummies came to life and moved into position, ready to battle the young vampire.

"_~This is going to be fun,~ " _she thought as the dummies charged their target, their hands morphing into various melee weapons.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Training Hall #18

Alderridge Subterranean Complex

20 minutes later...

Gritting her teeth in pain, Constantina tried her best to ignore it as she unleashed a bolt of lightning at her attacker. The attack blew the clay dummy's head to pieces, stunning it. Before it could reform it head; however, she unleashed another bolt, shattering its torso and putting it down for good. Its clay pistol landed on the hard floor, shattering into a thousand pieces. On her left side, her wound spat out the clay bullet before closing completely, removing any leftover scars.

"Remember that you can always switch between magical focuses," Kristiana called to her above the din of fighting. "Adaptability plus utilization equals survivability. Always using the same weapons will make you more vulnerable to foes whose traits or expertise can circumvent such measures. Observe."

Making a quick incantation, Kristiana thrusted a fist into the air. Suddenly, the practice dummies acquired a sort of sheen that reflected the hall's electric lights into Constantina's face, causing her to avert her gaze. She then attacked the dummies with electricity and fireballs, only to find that they weren't causing as much damage as before. To make matters worse, the dummies were regenerating at a faster rate.

"If you encountered a wall that can neither be climbed nor circumvented and it can take multiple hits, what do you do?" Kristiana asked her. "How do you take it down?"

Kicking away a dummy that got too close, Constantina ran for the racks, already unhooking the elementalism doll. Diverolling to avoid getting hit by clay bullets, Constantina pocketed the doll and grabbed one of the books from the second rack and put it on. Just as a melee-oriented dummy was about to cut her down with a clay sword, Constantina finished an incantation and conjured up a stream of a dark and aromatic liquid that boiled as it hit the dummy's face. Soon enough, the dummy's head was dissolved into a bubbling lump that ate its way through the rest of the body, finishing off the dummy for good.

"I will wear it down," Constantina finally answered.

"Good. Blood magic, while a total waste of food, is useful for wearing down a particular strong enemy," Kristiana commented, staring at the bubbling goop hungrily. "Unsurprisingly of course, vampires seemed to be more proficient at it than the humans. However, I advise you not to sip any of the blood until it cools. Your tongue and digestive system will thank you."

Splashing boiling blood onto another practice dummy, Constantina have it in mind to create a more powerful spell, yet the amount of blood she was using didn't seem to be enough yet. Growing the nails on her free hand, she grunted in pain as she used them to slit the wrist of her dominate hand. Soon enough, she condensed the extra blood between her hands, forming the life-giving liquid into a spike. Lining her shot, she launched the blood spike at the dummies, impaling three of them and causing them to shatter.

"Be careful when you're offering blood. Even vampires can faint from blood lost."

"I'll keep that in mind," Constantina told Kristiana, feeling dizzy.

"Perfect, now let's test your proficiency in chaos magic. Pick out a chaos focus."

After Kristiana muttered an incantation that paused the dummies' movements, Constantina took off the blood magic focus and set it back on the second rack. She then picked out one of the bronze masks from the last rack just as the dummies morphed their weapons into clay copies of the magical focuses on the racks. Slinging the mask over her shoulder, Constantina yelped when a fireball flew pass her face.

"This is the hardest phase of training for both vampires and werewolves," Kristiana announced, cracking her knuckles. "For vampires, who are weak to fire, having fireballs thrown at them is indeed a harrowing and excruciatingly painful experience. For the few werewolves interested in learning magic, they are at a disadvantage as they often choose to utilize only chaos magic, perhaps for its close-range capabilities, therefore subjecting themselves to long-ranged attacks long before they can even get within range."

Constantina screamed when some boiling blood splashed into her face. Deftly dodging a lightning bolt, Constantina bit down on the pain as she lashed out at the nearest dummy, cutting it in half with claws of turquoise energy. She then backflipped to avoid a similar attack from another dummy wearing a chaos focus.

"When fighting enemies who adapt to changing battlefield conditions, you must adapt as well, " Kristiana instructed as Constantina was struck by electricity. "The anima that you're now channeling are no different than that of which the humans uses. The only difference is that it takes a much shorter time to train a vampire than it takes to train a werewolf or a normal human in its use. For the werewolf, his primal psychology only allows for the hunting instincts and behavior patterns to be learned quickly and retained longer. Basically, any skill that involves ripping, tearing, and brute force are much easier to learn, though I suspect that their martial culture may have a hand, too. As for the humans, our civilization has a much deeper and older understanding of magic than theirs do. In fact, we'd learned teleportation long before they learned how to draw cave paintings. However, that have recently begun to change..."

Summoning a crossbow-shaped form of energy, Constantina fired a bolt at two dummies. One of them lost an arm to the attack while the other remained intact due to being protected by a spherical shield made of blood droplets. However, it proved to be too weak to take another hit and it soon collapsed when another bolt struck it, shattering the dummy inside as it passed through the other side. "How so?" Constantina asked Kristiana.

"Usually, it takes a normal human being weeks, if not months, to even learn how to conjure up a considerably powerful spell, unless they are born with the ability. However, there are reports of humans reaching that level within only a few days for unknown reasons. Also, after Joseph hacked into the Council of Venice's database, we'd discovered a steep increase in Templar, Illuminati, and Dragon recruitment over the past week. It's almost as if they're preparing for something major."

"Could it be us who they're preparing for?"

Kristiana shook her head. "I seriously doubt that the humans would gather a lot of new playmates just to eliminate people who's not even in their way, at the moment at least. Even the Templar isn't so bent on looking underneath every stone in the UK for vampires and werewolves as they were before World War I. No, I believe that it's something that's really world changing that have them vexed. Unsurprisingly, I believe that those terrorist attacks in Tokyo have something to do with it. However, strangely though, the attack on the subway system seemed to coincide with that plague of 'nightmares' nearly every vampire and werewolf in the world was having. You had one a few days ago, right?"

Constantina nodded before spinning around, slicing four dummies into pieces with claws of chaos magic. Thrusting her hands forward, she pushed away the last three dummies with a blast of energy, smashing them to pieces against a wall. "It was horrible, " she finally said between gasps of breaths. Her lovely nighttime clothing were torn and scorched in many places. There were a few blood stains where some of the boiling red liquid splashed on her.

"Yes it was," Kristiana nodded, the event already fresh on her mind. "Horrid, pulsating, slimy, black things that grasp your arms and legs, strangling you, binding you, calling out to you, beckoning you to join them. I do not want to think about what they meant, though I somehow knew that they'd been here for ages, perhaps alongside Gaia..."

Constantina took this in as she thought about her own dream. If others were also having the same dream, surely it was no coincidence. Finally she faced Kristiana and asked, "What is going to become of this world?"

Kristiana shrugged. "Who knows? At this point, we would have to wait and see. However, if things turn freaky, you'll be one of the first to know." Making a few marks on her clipboard, Kristiana gave Constantina a tiny smile. "Overall, your practice and skill was a huge success, of which I'll inform you mother at the end of this session. However, please don't become overconfident in your abilities. No matter who you are or your lineage, there is always enough lessons for you to learn and life itself is one hell of a teacher. I'll see you later to test your firearm proficiency, Constantina. You are dismissed."

Nodding, Constantina was just turning to leave when she slipped on some blood. Falling onto her seat, Constantina found herself sitting on a large puddle of blood, the liquid still being scalding hot.

For the next half hour, Constantina ran around the training hall, screaming like a chicken being boiled alive as Kristiana looked on with a stunned, blank expression.


	3. Chapter 2: Dreamland Fiasco

**Disclaimer: I own none of the works belonging to the author(s) and game designer(s) employed by Funcom, the makers of the Secret World, neither do I own any of the characters, factions, monsters, and places inside said media, save for those imagined and created by me.**

**Chapter 2: Dreamland Fiasco**

Ealdwic Condominium

Ealdwic District

London, England

8:43 AM

3 days later...

It had been four days since that fateful day in which she was changed forever. Hours after the Templar soldiers stormed her apartment room, looking for the monster who'd killed her several times, Harumiya finally came to and found herself lying on a clean bed in another room. A slow but fruitful investigation revealed that she was inside the guest bedroom of a condo belonging to Detective Marianne Shelley. When the detective arrived, she'd explained that the Templar found great potential in her due to her fight with the monster, which was found unconscious in a nearby alley, and wanted to recruit her. She then explained that, for the time being, she can stay in the condo until she find another place to live.

During that time, Shelley watched as Harumiya began to experiment with her newfound powers on the patio, trying to find ways to control and to master them. As the condo was on the top floor and was surrounded by a tall picket fence, she was protected from the prying eyes of mundane people who, according to Shelley, are blissfully unaware of a world full of hidden darkness and dangerous intrigue.

Though the first day of experimentation went off without a hitch, Harumiya accidentally overloaded her powers on the second day and erupted into a gory explosion. To Shelley's horror and shock; however, Harumiya's body reformed itself, eventually returning to a pristine state as if nothing happened. Naked and hurting all over, Harumiya explained that the tattoo on her back granted her half-immortality, as well as an enhanced healing capability. However, she explained that the downside is that she is often subject to alternating periods of good and bad luck, the latter sometimes lasting longer than the former. Documenting this into her log for her Templar superiors in HQ to read, Shelley was reminded of the mess Harumiya have made to her patio and became much less than impressed.

Harumiya spent the better part of that day cleaning the patio, cursing her luck endlessly.

On the third day, as Harumiya was mastering her powers, everything went as smoothly as the first day until she's accidentally knocked a few members of a large flock of ravens out of the sky. Furious at the attack, the entire flock swooped down and attacked Harumiya, their sharp beaks pecking her mercilessly and gouging out her eyes as fast as they can be restored. This went on for a few more minutes until a gunshot from a horrified Shelley sent the birds scrambling back into the air. When the ravens flew away, Harumiya's momentarily lifeless body was sprawled out on the patio floor, heavily mutilated by beaks and talons wounds. A single bullet hole was dead center of her eyes. At first, Shelley was confused as to how the wound got there. However, as Harumiya began to revive, she remembered that, in the feathery confusion of the enraged flock of ravens, she was so blinded that she didn't pay attention to where she was aiming the gun before pulling the trigger, accidentally killing Harumiya in the process.

Shelley became extra careful around Harumiya from that day on.

Now on the last day, Harumiya felt that she'd finally mastered her powers. Closing her fist around a ball of anima, Harumiya flexed her fingers as the morning breeze ruffled her shoulder-length, thick brown hair. Wearing a black T-shirt with a red star on the front and a pair of bell-bottoms, Harumiya sat down on a lawn chair, taking off her sandals and propping her bare feet onto another chair. Closing her eyes, Harumiya could feel the anima coursing through her veins, a product of a little 'bee problem', as Shelley puts it. From the time she'd fought that monster, she felt as if she can fight hundreds of its kin. Of course, that depends on what these 'Templar' wanted her to do.

Harumiya was about to go to sleep when the patio door opened. Opening her eyes, she straightened up in her seat as Shelley offered a soda pop. Opening the can, Harumiya took a sip as Shelley stretched. "So, how's the powers coming along?" she asked Harumiya.

"I believe that I have them under control now, " Harumiya responded between gulps. "In fact, I can manipulate them as easily as I can breathe."

"That very lovely," Shelley paused for a few minutes then continuing. "So, have you thought long and hard about my offer?"

"What offer?" Harumiya asked, dumbfound.

"About joining the Templar. Have you decided on that?"

Harumiya thought for a few minutes. "What if I refuse to join?"

Shelley pursed her lips. "Well, the choice is always yours, Harumiya. However, the Templar isn't the only force in this world. There are other forces out there who seek to use and to experiment on people like you and if I was a gambling woman, I would wager that such people will not survive the week. Unfortunately for you; however, your inability to stay dead makes you very interesting to these often inhumane forces. Soon enough, you won't be able to die, no matter how much you wish for it."

When Harumiya remained silent, her head bowed as she processed Shelley's words in her head, the Templar liaison continued, "So, you have two choices: You can either join the Templar and combat the encroaching darkness that threatens this world or you can take your chances with fate and wander on your own, with no means to defend yourself or no help when you get into trouble."

After remaining silent for a moment, Harumiya looked up into Shelley's eyes. "If I was to join these 'Templar'," she finally said, clenching her toes before relaxing them. "What would I have to do first?"

Without a word, Shelley got up and headed for the patio door. Before she reentered her condo; however, she looked over her shoulder. "It's often said that the streets hold messages of the future, particularly to those who are willing to listen. When you reach Ealdwic Park, look for any street preachers you find: they have be holding a message just for you."

As Shelley was just about to leave, Harumiya remembered something. "Wait!" she called out.

Stopping, Shelley turned and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" she responded. "What do you need?"

Sucking in a deep breath, Harumiya finally muttered, "Thanks...for everything. I wasn't sure how I'd managed if you guys haven't picked me up."

Shelley gave the young Japanese woman a small grin. "Don't mention it; it's nothing at all. I'm just doing my job, that is all."

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

9 minutes later...

"So this must be the place. Sure looks like it."

In front of the main entrance of the park was a growing crowd of people, who were chatting with each other noisily. Moving her way to the front of the crowd, Harumiya became confused when she only saw a large crate. Figuring that the person haven't arrived yet, she turned to a nearby citizen and asked, "Who are we waiting for?"

"Dunno," the man answered, shrugging. "However, I've heard from a friend that the mysterious chap here is very interesting to hear."

"Yeah, he's very freaky indeed," an older woman joined in. "He's kind of like those shrinks in those little shops that foretell your future. He once foretold that me and my boyfriend would break up. I'd never forgotten the day it actually happened."

Before Harumiya could ask her any questions, the crowd became hushed as something in the front grabbed their attention. Following their glances, Harumiya's curiosity turned into unbelief when she saw a strange midget stand on top of the crate. Wearing mix-matched, dirty clothing and an orange bicycle helmet, he wore circular-frame shades. A puppet resembling a king was on his left hand.

"Good morning, Londoners!" he greeted with a Northern London accent, waving his free hand over the crowd in benediction. The audience greeted him in return. "This starts another round of pre-apocalypse chit-chat. Subscription is free for all, though this offer expires upon the general death of humanity as we know it."

The majority of the crowd cheered and clapped, much to the confusion of Harumiya. _"~This nutcase is talking about the end of the world and these people are treating it like a concert?~" _she thought.

"For those of you who are still in doubt," the midget continued. "It's quite understandable. After all, governments everywhere are hiding the truth of the world's imminent death. 'Oh sure, the common people wouldn't know how to control themselves if they knew the truth,' they say. 'In fact, they'll act like animals, robbing and killing and harming each other, knowing that they have but a short time to live. What's the use of morals if the world's going to turn into a second hell before the next couple of decades, only without the lake of fire, some hungry creepy-crawlies, and a buttload of pain, eh?' That's exactly what they're thinking and that's why they use the powerful tool of 'blissful ignorance' to stupefy the public so that they can go about their merry little lives so that everything can be normal. Heh, what rotten good would that do in the end, I wonder? Sooner than later, that facade will crumble down like a tea cake dipped in a cup of The Horned God's superb coffee."

"You said it, man!" one of the men shouted. Harumiya suspected that his statement was more motivated by sarcasm than by genuine interest.

"Well, that's enough of the conspiracy mumbo-gumbo. Now to get back on topic," the midget continued. Turning to his puppet, he then asked it a question, "What's on your mind, old chap?"

"There's a storm coming. Mondo storm." the puppet said in a high-pitched voice, though Harumiya was sure that the man was making it speak. "Paint your glass houses shut."

The midget paused before turning toward the audience. "Oh sure, you don't have to take his word for it." He then held his free hand up toward the sky. "This is a warning from the sun. It says it's old, tired, and scared of death. It says that you have lived as young gods for too long! I'll show you how it all goes down: a vision of the future."

Harumiya grunted when someone shoved her out of the way. Turning toward the source of the intrusion, her eyes fell on an old man with a sour expression on his face. His mustache, which was curling into a grimace, gave him an older and antisocial, if not downright hateful, aura. When he saw that she was looking at him, he growled before turning away. "Mind your own business, lassie," he grumbled.

"It was a hot, wet day," the midget was speaking, oblivious to the exchange. "You ever wondered why the apocalypse always starts on a wet day?"

"An 'excuse me, ma'am' would've been more appropriate than a shove," Harumiya grumbled, very annoyed. She was beginning to itch.

The old man glared at Harumiya. "You know what?" he asked. "You and your generation act like little demons, wreaking havoc on society everywhere. Its about time someone gave you all a spanking to put you in your places."

"It's a shame nobody's done the same thing to you," Harumiya countered, becoming angrier by the minute. Her itchiness was starting to bother her. The crowd was beginning to distance itself from the two.

"There's the smell of warm air and stale...piss," the midget continued.

"You look like a smart child," the old man mocked, sneering. "Here's a word for you: it starts with a 'B' and ends with an 'H'.

Struggling to calm down, Harumiya became confused, "Bleach?"

"A sound comes over the speakers that you do not hear," the midget continued. "You itch!"

"Birch, beach, Bach, bleh, breath, belch, bash, balderdash, Bangladesh... " Her itchiness was tormenting her. Are the mosquitoes still active, despite it being late autumn?

"You're not even close, stupid lass!" the old man jeered, enjoying Harumiya's torment. "Or should I say, 'stupid bitch'."

In a fit of rage, Harumiya leaned closer to the old man, her hands clenching into fists. "Take that back, you sexist pig!" she growled, her forehead veins throbbing. "I don't know how you treated women back in your days but in this modern world, we aren't animals!"

"The Black Signal sounds..."

"Test me one more time and I'm going... going... down..., " Suddenly, Harumiya blacked out and fell face down onto the concrete at the old man's feet with a loud crunch, causing most of the other citizens to wince in sympathy. A small puddle of blood formed underneath her face, indicating that her nose was broken. Muttering an insult, the old man turned and left the scene.

Meanwhile, oblivious to the goings, the midget looked toward his audience and muttered, "Lights out."

''''''''''''''''''''

Flashback, unknown date or time...

A few minutes later, Harumiya woke up feeling groggy as she shook the dust off her face. For some reason, she felt as if something was off, as if she was no longer in London. In fact, whereas the air in London was fresh and crisp, the air in this place was not only balmy and reeked of old urine but there were a strange, sour odor too. Nearby, a trio of voices was talking to each other:

"Heh, I thought the Dragon thrived on chaos," a male voice spoke.

"Someone once told me the Illuminati have all the answers," countered a second voice, this one belonging to a female.

"So, what are we going to do?"

"We fight," answered a third voice belonging to another female. "That's what we Templar do."

"I'd love to fight, its just that these pants are bloody velvet."

"Where the hell am I?" Harumiya groaned, standing on her feet. As her vision cleared, she got a better look at the area. Not only was it nearly dark but strange black things were growing from the ceilings and the floors, writhing like tentacles. Animalistic growls and screeches echoed in the distance.

"Oh thank Gaia, Sarah's awake!" Before Harumiya could find out who was talking, a shorter woman hugged her tightly, squeezing the breath out of her. When the person finally let go, Harumiya have to use her remaining strength to avoid falling onto her face. Taking a good look at the Asian woman, who somehow looked familiar, Harumiya turned to her companions. The male speaker, a twenty-something year old guy, looked like some kind of reporter or private investigator, she couldn't tell. The second female; however, looked much younger, perhaps in her teens. She wore a red and white jacket and a white cap that accented her white hair, as well as her cold stare.

Stranger than the three people; however, Harumiya didn't feel like herself; she felt as if she was somebody else.

"Wh-who are you guys?!" Harumiya questioned, backing away from the trio slightly.

"Don't you remember us, Sarah?" the Asian asked, confused. "We fought our way through the Filth in Tokyo just to get here, a part of the subway system near Kaiden."

"I am not Sarah and we are not in Tokyo," Harumiya argued, greatly distressed. "I am Harumiya Saiko and I was in London just moments ago! What are you talking about?"

"Oh sure, this must all be a dream and this is just a flashback," the man said sarcastically, gesturing. For some reason, it felt ironic.

"You may've suffered mild amnesia after you collapsed," the teenager suggested. Despite her age, she carried herself with the air of an adult. "In that case, let introduce ourselves. I am Rose White, that sarcastic retard is Alex McCall-"

"Hey!" Alex yelled in annoyance.

" -and the woman who called you Sarah is Mei Ling. You are Sarah and we four are in the middle of the epicenter of this whole mess."

"For the last time, I am not-"

"Take a look, Sarah," Mei suggested, hold out a mirror glass shard. "Maybe seeing your face would bring back the memories."

Taking the shard, Harumiya gasped when she saw her reflection. Her hands seized up and she dropped the shard, grasping her head as the others looked on in confusion. Her whimpers became squeaks before erupting into high-pitched squeals.

"I knew that something was off, that I seemed a bit taller!" she whined, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm somebody else! Oh what would I give to become myself again?!"

Throwing her head back, Harumiya took a deep breath and, to the others' chagrin, unleashed a piercing scream, her grief giving way to anger, "This is that old man's fault! He cursed me! When I get my hands on him, I'm gonna shove his head so far up his own butt that he'll suffocate on his own-"

"Way to go, Sarah," Rose sarcastically congratulated, clapping slowly. "Why don't you set up a huge neon sign that says, 'Food's over here' while you're at it?"

"There goes the 'sneak-our-way-through-Filthy-hell' plan, "Alex grumbled.

The two agents weren't kidding: even now, the growls and shrieks were getting closer by the minute. Whatever things that were with them in the dark subway tunnels were now aware of their presence and Harumiya wasn't sure they wanted a train schedule.

"Quick Sarah, grab that shotgun on the ground near the gate!" Mei told her, pointing to the aforementioned weapon. "They're coming!"

Seeing the shotgun on the ground, Harumiya quickly went over and picked it up just as the others followed her. Checking the chamber; however, she became befuddled to find that it was empty. "Hey, how am I supposed to shoot when I don't have any bullets?"

"Just channel your anima into the weapon's chamber, Sarah, and it will form into bullets, " Mei responded.

"Okay... so how do I 'channel' my anima into the gun?"

"Just will the anima into the shotgun. Imagine that you're pouring water into the chamber," Alex explained impatiently. "Geez, have anybody taught you _anything_?"

Rose elbowed Alex in the ribs, causing him to wince. "Sarah has amnesia, remember?"

Concentrating, Harumiya felt a part of her energy flow into the shotgun, filling it up. Soon enough, the shotgun was covered with wisps of the bluish anima energy. "Okay, I'm good to go."

"Good, now let's-" Mei was interrupted by a piercing scream that came from the other side of the gate. Harumiya looked just in time to see a Japanese woman run for the gate, banging on it as she pleaded, her face contorted in sheer terror, "LET ME IN, PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

Closest to the keypad, Mei furiously tried to open the gate as the woman continued to scream, only to discover that it was malfunctioning.

"Quickly, open the gate Mei!" Rose called to her.

"I can't, the thing's not working!" Mei cried out.

Suddenly, a horrific being stepped into view. Though it was wearing a white shirt and black pants, Harumiya could tell that it was no longer human. Its twisted skin was covered in a black substance and tentacles of the same color writhed on its head and back. Its eyes glowed an ominous shade of orange as it turned toward the woman, its razor sharp teeth and claws shining in the light of the dying overhead lamps.

"Look out!" Mei yelled as the monster ran toward the woman, its unnatural screams filling the air. Closing her eyes, Harumiya screamed as she fired shot after shot in the general direction of the monster. Some of the projectiles ricocheted off the steel bars of the gate, causing the others to yell out in protest while the rest impacted something soft on the other end of the gate.

"Hey, watch where you're shooting!" Alex called out.

Finally, after unleashing salvo after salvo, Harumiya stopped firing and opened her eyes, blinking as the dust began to settle. When it finally did; however, Harumiya was shocked as what she saw. The area in front of her, on the other side of the gate, was chewed up completely, as if someone had taken a giant fork and repeatedly stabbed the ground multiple times. Lying in the middle of the mess in a growing pool of blood was the woman, a shocked expression on her face. Her body was pockmarked with hundreds of buckshot, being mutilated beyond recognition.

"Shit!" Alex swore.

"Oh. My. God." was all Rose could say.

"Sarah... how could you?" a stunned Mei breathed.

"Erm...sorry?" Harumiya squeaked, a nervous smile on her face.

Despite all odds; however, the monster remained unharmed. Scratching its head in confusion, it shrugged before running off toward the left, leaving the woman's body alone.

"Look guys, I'm really new to this, it's no joke," Harumiya explained, backing away as the trio's expressions became murderous. "I told you that I'm another person trapped in your friend's body."

"Then perhaps we should free your soul from Sarah's body, _demon_," Rose growled, cocking her shotgun for emphasis.

"You're not the real Sarah, are you?" Alex inquired, glaring at her suspiciously. "Sarah is not a noobish fighter."

"I'm not even Sarah to begin with!" Harumiya whined, being flustered with annoyance. "I've told you three that I am Harumiya Saito and that I was in London a few minutes ago!"

"When we get through this hellhole, would you please bring our Sarah back, _Harumiya_?" Mei asked, her eyes burning holes in her. Suddenly, Harumiya figured out why she'd looked familiar.

"You was the one in my dreams, Mei," Harumiya breathed. The latter raised an eyebrow. "In that dream, you killed that monster with fire and a flaming katana. In real life, I'd tried that move on a similar monster, only that it failed and resulted in that monster killing me many times."

Mei's glare turned intense. "How the hell did you-?"

"That Filthy man's coming through the vents!" Alex interrupted, conjuring a pair of fireballs.

"Prepare for battle!" Rose yelled, aiming her shotgun at a vent toward the left. "These things are deadly by themselves, let alone in groups. Hold nothing back!"

"And keep your eyes open!" Alex added, his words directed at Harumiya.

Holding her katana with both hands, Mei ran toward the vent. "We'll talk later, " she said to Harumiya as she passed by her.

Gulping down her fear, Harumiya followed her.

"Incoming!" Alex shouted as the very same monster the group saw earlier jumped out of the vent. With a yell, Mei slashed it with her weapon, spilling its black blood everywhere. Howling in pain, the monster slashed at her with its talons. Mei was barely able to parry and dodge its swipes when Alex and Rose attacked. The thing was scorched by the fireballs as the buckshot pelted its body. However, it would take more to bring it down.

As the others harried the monster, Harumiya stopped at a safe distance from her companions. Making sure that no one was in her way, she aimed the weapon at the monster and opened fired. Suddenly aware of a new attacker, the monster turned and recognized the woman who'd unsuccessfully tried to kill it earlier. Deducting that she was the most inexperienced person in the group, it considered her an easy prey and acted accordingly. Harumiya screamed when the monster ran at her full tilt, its claws curled and ready to grab and to tear her to pieces. Whimpering in fear, Harumiya raised her weapon upward as it leaped at her, its dark, twisted teeth wreathing an equally dark and horribly smelly mouth, and pulled the trigger, blowing its head to smithereens. Harumiya yelped when some of its blood spilled onto her and began to seep deeper into her skin, slowly infecting her. Her body then became very weak.

"_~I'm a goner, ~"_ she thought.

Suddenly, something moved inside of her, flowing toward the sites of infection. Swearing that she could hear the faint buzzing of bees, Harumiya felt the force combating the substance, destroying it, and purging it from her system. Soon, she felt cleaner and stronger than ever just as the force finally subsided.

Appearing to understand what Harumiya was experiencing, Rose explained, "You've just felt and heard the bees at work, Harumiya. As agents of Gaia, they help keep the infection of Filth at bay, keeping you from turning into one of them." She motioned to the headless monster now bleeding at Harumiya's feet. "No normal human being can do what we do without succumbing to the Filth."

"Wait, so this thing was once a normal human being?" Harumiya asked her.

"Yes," Rose simply said.

"However, even with the bees, being exposed to heavy amounts of the Filth for a long time can still turn you into a monster," Mei added.

"Um... guys? I'd hate to break up the chit-chat but more are coming through the vents!" Alex called as the growls became louder.

Getting into combat stances, the three women joined Alex just as more Filth-infected humans poured out of the vents, raging toward the four like a dark, twisted, and hungry tsunami.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

8 minutes later...

After the last Filthy human fell, Mei finally was able to open the gate and the four went though the opening, stopping at the top of the stations escalators. Running down the stairs, the four encountered a second group of Filthy humans, which they quickly dispatched. As the others stopped at the top of another set of escalators, their gazes fixed on something far below, Harumiya limped up painfully to meet them, her body covered in claw and bite marks that were already healing. She have taken the blunt of attacks from both groups of hostiles.

At the base of the escalators, there was a larger group of Filthy humans huddled on the loading platform. Along with the familiar type of Filthy humans the four fought, there were some whose hands was blanketed by black wisps of energy. However, the remaining Filthy humans were completely different from the rest. They wore body armor with an eight lined spiral insignia that was shaped into a square with the kanji for 'snake' next to it. These Filthy humans were armed with assault rifles.

"Filth-turned Orochi," Rose growled. "Great, now what do we do?"

"New plan," Alex answered. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a stun grenade. "Fight fire with fire. Attack from range, then take them out."

"You call that a plan?" Mei asked incredulously.

"Well, it is a plan..."

"Well it's good enough for me," Rose cut in, turning toward Harumiya. "Are you ready?"

"I guess so." she said painfully.

"Okay, make sure you aim for the knees. It'll slow them down temporarily, allowing you to finish them off quickly or to back up to a safer distance." Turning to Alex, Rose then spoke to him, "Okay, let hit it! Alex, make sure that grenade lands among the Filthy Orochi."

"Sure thing. Did I tell ya that I was once in the Major League?"

Rolling her eyes, Rose led the group closer to the hostiles, who weren't aware of their presence, at least yet. Perhaps the sudden quiet that accompanied the conclusion of the previous fight made them believe that the enemy have been taken take of, Harumiya wondered. As quietly as they could, the four sneaked down the stairs until Alex got into throwing range. That was when one of the Filthy Orochi saw them.

"Oh shit," Alex yelled as he pulled the pin. As the Filthy Orochi raised its rifle at him, he threw the grenade, his eyes widening in shock as it opened fire. Fortunately, the grenade was in the path of the bullets and got struck by a projectile, erupting into a concussion wave that was at a safe distance from both groups. Unfortunately, the explosion kicked up tons of dust, blanketing the entire area.

"*_cough* *cough* _Attack now, attack _*cough* _now!" Rose yelled, choking in the dust cloud as the Filthy Orochi opened fire. As they couldn't see through the dust, their inaccurate shots zipped pass the four humans, striking the Filthy humans who were charging ahead instead.

Using the enemy's muzzle flashes as guides, Alex unleashed chain lightning bolts that neutralized four of the Filthy Orochi. He then grunted in pain as a wad of shadowy energy slammed into his chest, knocking him back. Meanwhile, Mei was scything through the Filthy humans like a Korean angel of death, her breathe held and her eyes closed as she used the monsters' shrieks and coughs to lead her to them. Her flaming katana cut through them by a hot knife through butter, as she gracefully and instinctively dodge any attacks the shadow-throwing Filth launched at her.

As bullets whizzed past her body, tearing in the stairs. Rose wade deeper into the dust cloud, making sure that she was clear of the melee oriented monsters before shooting at where she believed the Filthy Orochi's knees to be. The rifle-armed monsters roared in shock and fury when the buckshot tore into their unprotected kneecaps. Keeping up the heat, Rose continued to fire on the monsters as she casually walked closer to them, her breath held. The remaining monsters, too stunned by the unrelenting salvo to return fire, were pushed further and further back, the attack wearing down their body armor. Rose knew that if she held fire for even one second, the monsters would shoot her to pieces.

Meanwhile, as the others got the Filth's attention, Harumiya fired a concentrated burst of firepower known as a powder burn at a pair of glowing orange eyes in the cloud. The eyes disappeared as the Filthy human was knocked off of its feet, smashing lifelessly into a pillar with a sickening crunch.

Several Filthy humans rushed her as the dust began to settle. Remembering Rose's advice, Harumiya fired buckshot at their legs, becoming satisfied as the projectiles chewed their limbs up. A few even fell to the ground as their legs were blown off, howling in frustration as they crawled toward her.

As they were too slow, Harumiya simply shot at them until they finally stopped squirming. In the next few minutes, after the dust finally cleared, only the four remaining standing, huffing in the marginally clearer air.

Rose gave a melting Filthy Orochi's body a fierce kick, knocking the breastplate and bits of black ooze away. "The Filth being armed with machine guns...,"she grunted. "Next, they'll be driving tanks."

"Ah, don't jinx us, Rose!" Harumiya exclaimed.

"Sweetheart, we may've seen some weird things in our lives but there is no way the Filth would learn how to drive a tank," Alex reassured her with a wink. "A dog is more likely to learn how to ride a motorcycle."

"Yes, but they seemed to know how to shoot at us..."

In the distance, the sounds of fighting erupted and Rose tightened her grip on her gun. As Mei peered across the other side of the train tracks, her eyes scanning the rubble that seemed to cut them off from the fighting, Alex cracked his knuckles."

"I guess that it's not over yet?" he asked no one in particular.

"_Wow_, you managed to finally realize that? Way to go, detective!" Mei remarked sarcastically.

"Thanks."

"Okay, it looks like its going to be a difficult fight." Rose said, turning to the others. "Me, Mei, and Alex will go deal with it quickly. Sarah... Harumiya, you go around that way and meet up with Zuberi. We'll meet with you later."

"Couldn't I go with you guys?" Harumiya pleaded, her eyes falling on the aforementioned route Rose pointed out. As it was nearly blanketed in darkness, Harumiya wouldn't dare wager on what could be hiding there.

"Just follow that route and meet with Zuberi, " she ordered impatiently, pointing. "He should be over there."

Looking into their faces, Harumiya could tell that they didn't want her fighting with them, as inexperienced as she are. With a grunt, she turned and walked toward the route. "If you wanted to get rid of me, just say 'go away', " she muttered bitterly.

Ignoring her, Rose led the others on another route, followed by Alex and Mei. As the three stepped into the dark corridor, Mei stopped and looked back, watched Harumiya trudged her way along the platform. A feeling of shame rose in her heart as the newcomer reminded her of herself when she'd first joined the Dragon, trying to gain acceptance among her more experienced peers. Rose's calls yanked her out of her musings and Mei ran to catch up with her comrades, secretly feeling for Harumiya.

"Stupid Rose thinks that she can boss people around, prancing around like a spoiled princess," Harumiya grumbled as she leap off the platform and onto the tracks. "I may be twenty years old but that doesn't give her the right to have an attitude. She have got to be around fifteen years old, how dare she order around her betters! Besides, I don't need them anyway; as soon as I get out of this place, I'll go and make some friends, a freaky army of them!"

Walking across the second set of tracks, Harumiya paused when she heard heavy breathing ahead. Squinting in the dark, Harumiya breathed rapidly as she inched loser to the source, her hands shaking as she kept the gun trained on it. As she continued on, she accidentally kicked some gravel away, the pieces clanging against the wall on the far end. Suddenly, a pair of large, glowing orange eyes materialized in front of her a few meters away, causing her to choke in fear and shock.

"RAAAAAWWWR!"

Something heavy and thick smashed into her chest and Harumiya found herself flying back onto the loading platform, slammed into a pillar. Coughing up a glob of blood, Harumiya weakly looked up to face her attacker. What she saw chilled her to the core.

Standing at about nine feet tall was a swollen mass of Filth-infected tissue. The giant humanoid being roared a second time as it threw its huge, muscular arms into the air. Its tentacular growths writhed wildly as it jumped onto the platform, leaving huge cracks where it landed. Illuminated by the dim overhead lights, it looked like a terrifying, Filthy parody of the Incredible Hulk.

As Harumiya managed to stand up painfully, she gasped as the creature bared its dirty, razor-sharp teeth. As she shuddered, Harumiya felt a warm liquid flowing down one of her legs as a wet spot formed on the front of her pants. Fresh urine filled her nostrils and Harumiya backed away, blushing in embarrassment. That was when the monster attacked.

When the monster leaped into the air, Harumiya screamed as she diverolled out the way, barely dodging the bone-crushing slam of a huge fist. The force of the impact created a concussion wave that pushed Harumiya away. Getting back up, Harumiya yelped as she barely dodged a right hook. Ducking under a kick, Harumiya fired point blank at the monster, pushing it back slightly with the shotgun blast. This gave her enough time to get to a safe distance. As the monster came running at her again, Harumiya fired at its knees, tearing through the ligaments and tendon and causing the monster to slow to a crawl. Back up some more, Harumiya held her shotgun with one hand and fired a second powder burn. The monster grunted loudly when the concentrated burst tore off a huge piece of its flesh, bringing it onto a knee or so it appeared. Confident that the monster was too severely damaged to fight effectively, Harumiya begin walking up to it, having it in mind to casually press both barrels of her shotgun against its head and blowing its brains out after saying a witty comment, just like in the movies.

Turned out that was a very bad mistake.

No sooner have Harumiya got within nine meters of the monster when it launched itself at her, moving faster than one of its size should be able to move. Harumiya grunted when six hundred-and-something pounds of Filthy mass slammed into her. Sent flying back, Harumiya teetered on the brink of unconsciousness as the wind was knock out of her. However, a collision with a pillar that seemed to break a rib and send a shot of sharp pain to her brain soon brought her back to her senses. In great pain, Harumiya glanced at the nearby wall, shuddering at the thought of what would happen if she was caught in front of that wall when the monster charged. It was be quite a bloody mess, a painful one at that if she survived.

Come to think of it, the wall proved to be what she needed...

Having an idea, Harumiya gingerly stood up, wincing with every painful breathe, as the monster readied itself for another charge. As quickly as she can, Harumiya quickly moved to the wall, turned around, and waited, hoping that she was able to dodge the attack quick enough. Failure meant becoming a Harumiya-flavored jam.

Soon, the monster charged, zeroing in on Harumiya like a flesh-covered juggernaut. Timing her move, Harumiya bit down to endure the pain before leaping out the way. Unable to stop itself, the Filthy mass smashed into the wall, putting a huge dent in the surface. The shockwave traveled up to the ceiling above the monster and loosened some debris that pelted the monster. Struggling to get back up, Harumiya was horrified that the monster was still intact and was now walking toward her, a fist poised to break her in half with a gut-liquefying punch. Due to her condition, Harumiya knew that she won't be able to dodge the attack.

"Oh God, help me," she whimpered, tears forming in her eyes.

Just as the monster took another step, it slipped on a puddle of its own blood and fell backward. Its surprised screeches ended abruptly when its head landed on a sharp piece of debris, jerking involuntarily as it jutted out of its right eye. As the monster gave its death throes, a large piece of debris fell from the ceiling, crushing its head in a spray of Filthy blood.

Standing up, Harumiya blinked in confusion as the monster melted into a puddle. She held a blank look of stunned shock for a few more minutes before remembering that she was supposed to meet this Zuberi character somewhere. Muttering a quick prayer of thanks, Harumiya gave the growing puddle one last look before continuing on her route, hopping that there was no more Filth along the way.

Rounding a corner, Harumiya breathed a sigh of relief when she only encountered a wrecked train wedged into the rubble. Entering through a hole in its side, Harumiya exhaled tiredly as she took a seat on a side bench. She was just beginning to recuperate when a door on the far end of the rain was pulled open. She was just about to curse her luck when she saw who entered.

It was a man who looked to be in his late fifties, complete with the streaks of fray in his hair. Wearing a brown outfit, the man carefully placed another man onto the train's floor. Wearing the same body armor as the Filthy Orochi, the man was bleeding to death from a chest wound.

"You must be Zuberi," Harumiya asked the first man. "Rose told me you'll be around here."

"That is correct, young one," Zuberi answered, his deep voice brimming with wisdom and knowledge. There seemed to be a fatherly air about him, as if she can tell him anything and he wouldn't judge her. "I take it that the others are coming?"

As Harumiya nodded, Zuberi noticed her wounds. Raising his hands, Zuberi closed his eyes and focused, conjuring whiffs of anima energy. Harumiya gasped when he washed her thoroughly with the energy. As her wounds and injuries healed, she also felt as if he was transferring a bit of his knowledge into her. In fact, she felt as if she can heal almost every hurt.

"Reach inside yourself, grab a hold of the anima," Zuberi intoned as he lowered his hands to his sides. "Manipulate the life force, use the power of Gaia to mend this broken body well." Zuberi then motioned to the dying Orochi security guard.

Raising her hands, Harumiya directed some of the anima at the Orochi, watching in amazement when the chest wound closed ad the blood disappeared. Completely healed, the Orochi stood up, placing his hand over where the wound used to be. Even the pain was gone.

"Thanks," he said to Harumiya.

Suddenly the doors on the other end opened and Alex, Mei, and Rose ran into the train, standing behind Harumiya.

"Hi Harumiya! You made it through okay!" Mei said, feeling happy to see her. She was about to pat Harumiya on the shoulder when she pulled away.

"Don't touch me," Harumiya grumbled. "I got hulk-smashed by a Filthy muscle-head, no thanks to you guys."

"We didn't know that there was anything in that direction," Mei reasoned. "Had we known, we wouldn't have left you to fend for yourself."

"Yeah, it was kinda foolish to split up while in a hellhole, anyway," Alex agreed, glancing at Rose. Alex sniffed the air and quickly yanked back, wrinkling his nose. "Does anyone smell pee?" Fortunately, he didn't see Harumiya look away shamefully.

Rose ignored the stare and gave Harumiya a flat stare. "You're still alive and not a greasy pulp in a dark corner," she said without empathy. "Therefore, you are capable of fending for yourself. _Whoopee_, you may stop crying like a baby now."

"_Rose_!" Mei gasped in shock.

"Don't you guys get it? This girl is possessing Sarah, _our_ Sarah!" Rose argued, looking at Alex and Mei. "Think of the emotional torment Sarah's going through now, being commandeered by a spirit who might as well be a mundane for what good she is!"

Now furious, Harumiya took a threatening step toward Rose. "I don't know who you think you are but you are one mouthy little brat!" she hissed, gritting her teeth. "It's a shame that your parents shove food down that feeding hole of yours more often than they should have smacked it!"

Rose too became very angry and she took a step toward Harumiya, bringing her face within inches of hers. "Insult me all you want! It doesn't change the fact that you're useless! I'd even feel bad for my enemies if they have you in their group!"

"You must have tons of enemies with that attitude! I bet that it can protect you from many things though: monsters, hostile humans, how about having a boyfriend?!"

"Um, guys..." Alex said apprehensively, noticing Zuberi's expression. "You may want to cut it out right about now."

"You must want to die!" Rose pressed the barrel of her shotgun into Harumiya's chest. "I'll send you to hell!"

"Rose, don't do it!" Mei cried out.

"Pull the trigger and Sarah dies!" Harumiya growled before sneering. "Of course, you probably considered her expendable, anyway."

Both Rose and Harumiya suddenly screamed in shock and fright when a lightning bolt flashed between their faces, burning its way to freedom through a window. In the distance, the growls and screeches became louder.

"NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR ARGUMENT!" Zuberi roared, causing both girls to jump.

"I told you he'd said that," Alex spoke, shrugging.

"He's right," Mei agreed, pointing in the direction of the noises. "The Filth's heading this way!"

"Then we shall meet them in battle," Zuberi said as he opened the doors. "Come, let's kick some Filthy asses." He left the train, followed by the Orochi guard, Mei, and Alex. Alone on the train with Harumiya, Rose locked eyes with her before turning to leave the train.

"This isn't over yet," she mumbled before disappearing from sight.

Sticking out her tongue at Rose, Harumiya shook her head before leaving the train.

The big battle came quicker than Harumiya expected. Already, Filthy humans were running toward the group, followed by a few Filthy hulks, to Harumiya's chagrin. A handful of Filthy Orochi took cover behind some rubble as they opened fire at the group with their assault rifles. Thankfully, they weren't good shooters and they killed most of their comrades before they can even engage in melee.

"We must fight our way to the platform!" Zuberi yelled, frying five Filthy humans with chain lightning. When a Filthy hulk threatened to blindside him; however, it quickly fell onto its knees when Mei cut its hamstrings. A powder burn from Rose blew its head off.

Meanwhile, Alex, Harumiya, and the Orochi guard was holding their own against the Filth. Despite not having powers like the others, the Orochi guard was an experienced fighter. Already, no less than six Filthy humans have fallen, a bullet hole or two in their skulls. When a few bullets glanced off his body armor, he whirled toward his mutated former comrades, loading a grenade into his weapon's launcher as he moved, and lobbed the explosive over the rubble where they were taking cover. The resulting explosion blew three apart and scythed two down with jagged shrapnel.

Leaping into the air, Alex conjured up a huge hammer, which he brought down on a Filthy hulk. Already slowed by a shot to the knee, courtesy of Harumiya, the mutated giant couldn't move fast enough to dodge the hammer and was squished to a pulp.

"I was once a huge mutant freak until I took buckshot to the knee," Harumiya muttered to herself. Chuckling at her private joke, Harumiya blew a Filthy human off its feet with a powder burn and obliterated another with a shotgun blast.

Soon all of the Filth were killed and silence once again reigned over the scene.

Bowling over to catch her breath, Harumiya stood up straight and wiped sweat off her forehead. "We finally made it through this hellhole," she said to Zuberi. "I swear that, when we leave this place, I'm going to take a long, long, bath."

"First, you would have to get out of Sarah's body and go back into yours," Rose growled.

"There may be a slight problem to that: I don't know how to."

"WHAT?!"

"Easy Rose, she may've gotten into Sarah's body against her will," Mei reasoned. "Remember that dream you'd told us about? It was that dream in which you were trapped in Alex's body."

Rose cringed as she remembered the experience. "Now that you mentioned it, it does makes sense."

"So, this may all be just a dream...," Harumiya muttered, the realization's dawning on her.

"_A dream_?" Alex said incredulously. "We're living a real life experience here!"

"It may be real to you but it's-" Harumiya stopped when she saw Zuberi's hand raise up. She tensed when his expression became alert.

'It's not over yet," he simply said. Soon enough, more Filthy creatures came from all directions and in greater numbers than before. Despite the efforts of the six people, the monsters was quickly being replaced by others faster than they can be killed. It was clear that the group would lose to attrition.

"There's too many of them!" Alex yelled, shooting chain lightning as fast as he can. "We're going to be overrun!"

Destroying a handful of Filthy monsters, Zuberi turned to Harumiya. "We have only a small window of opportunity!" he yelled at her. "You must fight your way up the stairs and escape. We'll hold them off!"

Harumiya was stunned. "What about you guys?"

"We are more experienced at this than you!" Rose cut in as she basted away several Filthy humans. "Don't take it the wrong way: we'll get out of this, no problem. You; however, aren't used to this yet so you must escape! Oh yeah, one other thing..."

"What?"

"Sorry for what I said and did back there. That was... uncalled for."

Harumiya remained silent for a moment until a smile formed on her face. "You're forgiven and I'm sorry too for what I'd said."

"Good, now make sure that our Sarah makes it out alive!"

"I promise."

"Okay guys, enough of the hallmark moment!" Alex yelled above the din of combat. "We can't hold them off any longer!"

"Goodbye, Harumiya!" Mei called out to her. "May Gaia cross our paths once again."

Bidding her farewells, Harumiya made a run for the stairs, blasting any Filthy human who got in her way. Noticing the move, a Filthy hulk and a handful of its smaller comrades broke off from the main group and chased her as she ran down the length of the platform and up the stairs. Harumiya ran as fast as she can, feeling the occasional rush of air at her back as the Filthy hulk tried to grab her. Turning right to ascend the next flight of stairs, Harumiya could almost feel the Filthy hulk's breath washing over her legs when she heard a loud rumbling above her head.

When the rumbling began, the Filthy hulk and its comrades skidded to a halt as their glances shot upward. When the ceiling began to collapse, their collective eyes bulged out of their sockets as the debris fell toward them, almost in slow motion. Having foolishly chosen to stop pursuing the human, the Filthy creatures have unknowingly subjected themselves to a quick and squishy death.

"Oh shit...," the Filthy hulk trailed in a deep and slow voice moments before he and his friends were crushed to a pulp.

As the cave-in finally stopped, silence once again reigned over the place and Harumiya slowly went down the steps, keenly aware that the atmosphere felt mystical and surreal. In fact, a strange light was coming from the distance. When she finally arrived at the floor, Harumiya gasped at what she saw. A huge chunk of the walls have been torn off, replaced by what she would call a surreal view of outer space. Strange celestial objects and a sun rotated slowly on their axis. Between them, a shining object was getting brighter by the second and seemed to give off a distant roar.

"Wow, I'm in outer space!" Harumiya said gleefully as she walked closer to the edge. In the distant, several asteroids slowly drifted by at if in greeting. Waving at them, a toothy grin on her face, Harumiya turning her attention back to the shining object, her eyes widening in surprise to find that it has gotten even brighter and was given a much louder roar. With cold realization, Harumiya realized that it wasn't actually getting brighter or bigger; it was getting closer.

Whimpering in fear, Harumiya slowly backed up from the incoming object until she accidentally backed into one of the clusters of Filthy tentacles growing from the floor. Immediately, the black tentacles coiled around her body tightly, pinning her to the corner. A small tentacle grew out of one of the larger ones and plunged into her right nostril, twisting and turning inside her nasal cavity. Struggling as the tentacle continued to pick her nose, Harumiya kept her eyes on the object as it got closer, finally unleashing a piercing scream of terror when the meteor finally smashed into her face.

''''''''''''''''''''

"AAAUUUUUUGH! *_CRACK_* "

The sudden shot of pain immediately jutted Harumiya out of the dream and she looked around to find herself lying on a hospital bed in a large clean room full of other beds. Reaching up to where the Filth tentacle was picking her nose, Harumiya found instead a wad of tissue lodged into her right nostril. Standing at the side of her bed was a middle-age woman who was wearing a medical uniform and lab coat and wore her shoulder-length black hair in a ponytail. The woman was rubbing her forehead.

"Ow, you really surprised me," she spoke with an aristocratic British accent, pausing when she saw blood running out of Harumiya's left nostril and onto the white sheets. "And it looks like you broken your nose, again."

"Hmm, where am I?" Harumiya asked her, still feeling woozy from her experience.

"This is the Templar's infirmary. When Detective Shelley found you laying on your face in a pool of your blood in front of Ealdwic Park's main entrance, she assumed the worst. Fortunately, we found out that it was nothing major so you was brought here instead of the hospital. However, it's good that I'd managed to set your nose before your strange healing magic kicked in, otherwise it would've healed incorrectly and that would take a few points off your flirtation skill, if you know what I mean. Anyway, I'd heard that Sam Krieg was in town."

"Um, thanks, though I don't think it's needed." Harumiya didn't really cared for the horror author or his bleak and dark view of humanity.

"Well, in any case, I must make sure this one doesn't heal crooked," the physician said as she put on gloves and reached for Harumiya's nose. "With these injuries, you can never tell. Hold still."

"Wait, you don't really understand!" Harumiya cried as the woman held her nose. "This isn't something that doctors and nurses often deal with!"

"What are you talking about?" she asked as she readied herself. "A broken nose's a broken nose, no matter how it's healed."

"Wait, that's not what I mean-"

_***Crack!***_

Harumiya's bloodcurdling scream echoed through the numerous corridors of Temple Hall, even audible to the Templar guards stationed outside.


	4. Chapter 3: First Step in Madness, Pt 1

**Disclaimer: I own none of the works belonging to the author(s) and game designer(s) employed by Funcom, the makers of the Secret World, neither do I own any of the characters, factions, monsters, and places inside said media, save for those imagined and created by me.**

**Author's Note: I would like to thank everyone who visited this story and those who posted here too. Seeing that one's story interests some people makes any author's heart glad. However, reviews and constructive criticism help improve said author's writing ability and confidence so if you have any comments whatsoever, feel free to review and reply. Once again, thank you! ;-)**

**Chapter 3: First Step Into Madness, Part 1.**

Kingsmouth, Solomon Island, about eleven miles off the coast of Maine

2:34 pm

Five days later...

Three days ago, after being believed to be lost at sea for several days on end, the fishing ship Lady Margaret had finally returned, which was good news in of itself. However, the captain and crew were uncharacteristically somber and traumatized, having lost a majority of their crewmates at sea. However, the survivors seemed to be so distant and unfeeling that few began to wonder whether their comrades' deaths weren't the only things that were bothering them. To add to the largely ignored warning signs, the Lady Margaret was covered in a strange red seaweed, which not even the crew had bothered cleaning off the ship. As the crew went home, the captain chose to remain on his ship and was never heard from again. He was soon followed by his crew, who slowly disappeared one by one until no one remained, their mental health already being in severe decline.

However, for the inhabitants of Solomon Island, this was only the beginning.

The lone vintage Harley rumbled down one of Kingsmouth's numerous streets before crossing over Kingsbridge. The driver, a man in his twenties, sported neck-length, brown hair with the neatly trimmed beard to match. True to the biker lifestyle, he wore blue jeans with a black leather jacket draped over a white T-shirt and pair of black shoes. Following King's Court Rd. and making a left on Angell Street, he drove down the street before turning right on Belmont Avenue as the townspeople looked on with interest. Driving down the street, he glancing toward Fletcher Bay with a confused expression, many thoughts running in his head. The man pulled into the parking lot of the town's mining museum and cut the ignition. Getting off his motorcycle, he took out a map and looked at it carefully. Realizing that he'd been reading the map upside-down ever since he left Portland, Maine, the man slapped himself on the face, loudly cursing his absentmindedness. Nearby, a woman watched him, raising an eyebrow.

Calming down, he was just beginning to walk toward the museum's entrance when he stumbled over a rock. His eyes widening, he watched in horror as the map slipped out of his hands and into a storm drain. A leap toward the paper proved futile as the map fell forever out of his grasp in the darkness.

"DAMMIT!" he roared, pounding the ground with his fists. Shaking her head, the woman decided that it was best to distance herself as far away from the crazy visitor as she can.

Swearing another time, the man finally stood up and breathed slowly to calm himself down. Dusting off his jeans, the man then walked to the museum's entrance, ascending the steps before walking through the double doors. As he looked around for anybody who can help him, a plaque on the surface of a small monument inside a nearby display case caught his eye and he went over to take a closer look. It read:

~This plaque marks the end of a madman's reign of terror on Solomon Island. In 1889, an outlaw by the name of Jonathan Billins a.k.a. 'Old Dusty' fled to Solomon Island after escaping authorities in Texas. Known as the oldest outlaw in the Wild West, Old Dusty was responsible for twelve bank robberies, two train robberies, fifty seven murders, most of whom were either marshals or soldiers, and was involved in thirteen gunfights prior to arriving to Solomon Island, all whilst between the ages of 55 and 59. Afterward, he became responsible for thirteen thefts, seventeen robberies, fourteen murders, most of whom were civilians, and three counts of grave robbery. Authorities made unsuccessful attempts to apprehend Old Dusty, as he was a meticulous planner, often escaping long before authorities could even ascertain his whereabouts. However, after terrorizing Solomon Island for four more years, Old Dusty was finally gunned down in 1893 inside a desolated shack on the Savage Coast. The raid was made by a group of courageous miners and marshals who were led by a Texas Ranger from the mainland named Nathanial Edward Boone. Though a considerable number of miners and marshals lost their lives in the raid, their sacrifices helped ended Old Dusty's reign of terror forever. So bloody was Old Dusty's history of violence that at the time his weapons were considered to be tainted beyond reuse by anyone else and were subsequently buried with his body in an unmarked grave on the Savage Coast. This monument is dedicated to those brave souls, including Nathaniel, who risked their lives so that Solomon Island can finally know peace.~

"Whoo, talk about a gunslinger from hell," the man whistled in amazement.

"Excuse me, sir, how may I help you?"

The man jumped when the woman spoke. Turning around, he gave her a respectful nod before speaking, "Excuse me, ma'am, do you know where I can get a new map? I'm in the wrong town and are trying to get to my destination. However, my map fell into the storm drain outside."

"Hmm, I hear that the King of Books has run out of maps and is expecting a shipment next week" she answered, shrugging apologetically. She next pointed toward the north. "Perhaps the Sheriff's Office has a few maps left, though."

"Thanks a billion, ma'am," the man winked before leaving the mining museum. Hopping onto his bike, the man drove up Elm Street until he arrived at his destination. Parking his motorcycle, the man went up the ramp and into the building. That's when he met one of the officers.

"Um, hya there," the police officer greeted. His beardless face, coupled with his smaller statute, made him appeared younger. "How may I help you?"

"Yes, I was just about to poke around to see if I can find a map," the man answered, shrugging.

The officer's face became very serious. "How do I know that you're not scoping out the place in order to rob it, ayuh?" The officer's eyes burned holes into the man.

The stunned man simply held up his hands in defense. "Whoa easy, officer. I'm not that type of person. Don't let the drifter's gear fool ya."

The officer kept his cold eyes on the man for a while before bursting out in laughter. "I'm just kidding with you! You're looking dead serious, sir. Besides, who would rob a _sheriff's office_? Of course, now that I think about it, it's a really sorry joke, ayuh."

Chuckling, the man looked closely at the officer's face. "Say," he was beginning to say. "You look pretty young for a police officer. What's your name?"

The officer smiled as he held out his hand. "Deputy Andy Gardener and what would your name be, ayuh?"

The man blinked in surprise. "_Deputy?! _Most men your age would be shooting hoops or womanizing but _you_ ended up ordering the blues around."

Andy shrugged. "Well, I'd always wanted to be a police officer so this is beyond a dream come true if you think about it, ayuh?"

The man clasped Andy's hand within his own, grinning fiercely as he shook Andy's hand. "Well, as they always say: 'Miracles do happen'. Anyway the name's Sandy Jansen, though since we're getting along together, you can just refer to me by my nickname: Moose."

"'_Moose'?_! Are you from Canada or something?"

"Maybe I am or maybe I'm from Alaska. In fact, I was on my way to Ontario when I ended up here."

"Oh yeah, the maps, right?" Andy went over to a bin and came back with a freshly packaged map. There was a hint of sadness on Andy's face, which he quickly wiped away when he got to Moose. "Here you go. Try not to lose it in a bear's den, ayuh?"

Taking the map, Moose gave Andy a reassuring smile. "When I ride back from Canada, I'll come visit this town again. Word is that the diners here have killer shrimp gumbo."

Feeling better, Andy nodded. "This may not be New Orleans but we're no pushover either."

"When I get back, perhaps you can show me around..." Moose stopped when he noticed what the people around him were doing. They were gazing in the direction of Fletcher Bay, pointing and muttering among themselves. Following their gazes, Moose's eyes widened at what he saw. In the distance, as far as the eye can see, a massive bank of fog was approaching the harbor, closing in fast like a silent, ghastly tsunami of mist. Things appeared to be moving within the fog, though he was too far away to see what they really were. Turning toward Andy, Moose could see that the deputy appeared to be a bit frightened as he continued to stare at the encroaching fog as if it was a harbinger of death.

"Lighten up, man," Moose said, trying to cheer Andy up. "Aren't these island and coastal towns subject to thick fog, anyway? They are sitting next to huge bodies of water, after all."

"Yes, but nothing like this had ever happened before," he muttered.

Looking back at the fog, Moose yawned as he cracked his knuckles. "Well, I am in no rush so I guess that I can stay awhile, maybe find me a place to sleep."

"Be careful, Moose," Andy worried, his usually jovial tone turning dead serious. "I'm starting to have a bad feeling about this. Best to wait it out inside the office, ayuh."

Moose shrugged. "Relax Andy, It's just a _fog_, " He said, confused at Andy's cautiousness. What was there to worry about anyway? "What's the worst that can happen?"

''''''''''''''''''

18 hours later...

Maintaining a geostationary position over the New England region, a satellite continued to focus its cameras and sensors on a location off the coast of Maine. Formerly a retired Soviet satellite, it have been remotely hacked into from the planet's surface and is now being used by one of the factions who is unknown to the human secret societies who pull the strings of the world, at least to the majority of them.

If its signal can be decrypted without one's own computer getting infected with a devastating worm, the hacker would find out to his chagrin that it was bounced from several unsuspecting transmitters throughout the world in the form of towers and transmitter dishes, ensuring that the signal cannot be accurately traced back to its source. If said hacker was omniscient; however, he would find to his complete confusion that the signal originated from, of all places, a cemetery in the Ealdwic district of London. Around fifty feet below the buried coffins was a network of powerful transmitters that were made of a corrosion-resistant material. Underneath each transmitter was a bundle of wires that ran downward for another twelve feet before going through a small concrete pipe, through which the signal was traveling via one of the wires. On the other end, the pipe led to a room in the Alderridge Underground Complex that was filled with servers and computers, each fed by the wires that connected to the transmitters. The machines were maintained by both vampire and human technicians, as well as a few werewolves who were interested in computers and intelligence gathering.

In a corner, a blonde-haired young man in his early twenties typed on a computer as data from the satellite was downloaded onto the machine. Wearing a pair of thin-framed glasses, a green hoodie with a black T-shirt, and blue jeans and brown shoes, he was none other than Joseph Bannister, a human hacker who was responsible for the phenomenal feat of cracking the Council of Venice's often heavily encrypted transmissions. Taking a sip of coffee, Joseph remembered yesterday that his object of interest, Solomon Island, was blanketed by a very thick fog the aging satellite's sight couldn't penetrate. He'd chose the island because his love interest, one Mary Brewster, lived there her whole life. Having met her on several occasions, Joseph had it in mind to introduce her to his secret life as a sympathizer for his non-human comrades so that they can get married and live here, though he had his doubts about whether that was a good idea. After all, vampires and werewolves have always been portrayed as completely evil creatures, something he himself didn't believed. Besides, he'd once met humans who acted far worse.

However, the fog was still there, hanging over the island like an annoying cataract.

Sighing, Joseph pressed a button that switched him over to another screen and put on some headphones. Checking to make sure his supervisor wasn't around, Joseph logged into a program, grinning with excitement as he jumped into a fight.

With a flurry of button mashing, Joseph watched as his Scorpion tore up another player's Rayden. Blood flew everywhere as his yellow-suited ninja sliced the god of lightning with his huge sword. The other player tried to retaliate by shooting a bolt of lightning, which his character dodged. Punishing the player with slices and stabs, Joseph grinned when Rayden's health fell to near death levels.

**"FINISH HIM!"** the voiceover demanded.

Mashing a combination of buttons, Joseph watched with glee when his Scorpion impaled Rayden's head with his harpoon attack and, after a few powerful yanks, ripped the lightning god's head clean off, along with his spinal cord.

**"SCORPION WINS!"**

"Yes!" Joseph hissed as he fist-pumped. Choosing from a variety of online opponents, he chose one at random and waited until the screen finished loading. This time, Scorpion was fighting Johnny Cage. Joseph scoffed, remembering that he'd always defeated Johnny using Scorpion. Believing that this would be yet another easy victory, Joseph shrugged and selected the 'Start Fight' option.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Within the first second of the round starting, Johnny was on him in a heartbeat, assaulting him with punches and kicks, as well as whacks of his nunchuks. So fast was his movements that Joseph couldn't even get his Scorpion to move or to use his sword. In a matter of seconds, Scorpion's health was in the danger zone and the dreaded voiceover spoke once more.

"**FINISH HIM!"**

Joseph watched in horror as Johnny began knocking off pieces of Scorpion's body with his nunchuks, first his arms, then his legs, and finally his head, which flew toward the screen, showing Joseph his badly bruised face before falling out of view.

"**JOHNNY CAGE WINS! FLAWLESS VICTORY!"**

"Nooooo!" Joseph yelled, drawing stares from both his human and non-human colleagues. Looking for the username of the person who'd just beaten him, Joseph's eyes widened in shock and befuddlement when he finally found it.

The person's username is Bl33Ding0_0PrinC3SS.

"I'd been beaten by a girl and didn't even land any hits..." he breathed, stunned beyond belief.

"Joseph, what did I tell you about playing video games when on duty?!" The person's Irish accented voice was sharp enough to cut through the game's music.

Joseph slowly took off his headphones and sheepishly turned around as he faced the person. Having very pale skin, the woman wore a blue business suit and her black, curly hair to her shoulders. Very attractive, the woman would've been a nice person to hang out with if she wasn't so bossy.

"What did I tell you about slacking off?" she asked again in that skin-crawling maternal tone of hers, the soft lights of the filtered lamps reflecting off her fangs and coffee-brown eyes. "Do you want to do hard menial labor again?"

"No ma'am," Joseph's voice broke, making him sound like a little boy who's about to be punished.

The woman gave a small smile, her fangs gleaming lightly in the soft lighting of the room. "Well fortunately for you, I'm in a good mood today so I will let you off the hook. However, if I catch you slacking off again, you would have to drag yourself to your bedroom. Do I make myself clear?"

"Completely, Ms. Vaneann."

"Good," Vaneann said as she walked off. "Carry on."

After Vaneann have left, Joseph sighed being turning toward the screen, glaring at the female player's Johnny Cage. "We shall continue this dance next time, sweetheart," he vowed before switching over to the satellite view of a fog-covered Solomon Island. Now even more bored than ever, Joseph was about to go to Facebook to check his profile when something spectacular happened: the fog immediately dispersed from the island, forming a thick ring around it.

"Oh goodie, the island's clear now, " he said as he shrugged, feeling relieved. Typing on the keyboard, he smiled as he inputted the coordinates to Mary's house, imagining that she was sitting on her back porch, leaning on the rail as she thought about him. Unfortunately for him, the island suddenly vanished from sight, disappearing as if it'd never existed. The satellite's cameras showed nothing but water.

Joseph's mouth was so agape that it made the Grand Canyon looked like a sidewalk crack.

"What. The. Hell?" he mouthed in a low voice.

As quickly as he can, Joseph reached for the call button in the side of the computer, depressing the red button. After a few minutes, Ms. Vaneann returned to his workstation, an inquisitive look on her face. "What do you need, Joseph?"

Joseph motioned toward his screen, looking at Vaneann expectantly.

Vaneann gave him a flat state. "Don't tell me you're trying to find Atlantis off the coast of Maine." Joseph could see a vein on her forehead throbbing.

"No, not at all Ms. Vaneann!" Joseph hurriedly said, hold out his hands in defense. "You know of Solomon Island, that large island off the coast of Maine?"

"Yes, I know about the island, including its maritime culture. Care to explain why you're interested in this island?"

"For a long time, it was covered in fog until a couple of minutes ago. Just as I was about to go to Face-...er, find something else of interest, the whole island disappeared, kind of like one of those tricks the magicians at the theater often play. You know, when they ask a volunteer from the audience to step into a tall box and-"

"I get the idea, Joseph," Vaneann interrupted as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "How do you know that it isn't a mirage or something? Perhaps a satellite's cameras and sensors can see through even a mirage."

"Heh, you've just answered your own question." Joseph chuckled lightly.

"Yes, but please do not remind me! It's embarrassing!" Vaneann hissed.

Joseph gulped down in fear. Even when whispering, Vaneann is still scary. There is even a rumor that she'd made a werewolf pee his pants. "Y-yes, ma'am!"

"Good, now show me the footage you captured of the island."

Typing in a few keystrokes, Joseph rewinded the video and replayed it, turning back to Vaneann as she looked. As the island disappeared, Vaneann's reaction closely matched that of his until it became so great that she surpassed him in sheer shock.

"So, um, what do we do now?" he asked her as he adjusted his glasses.

Becoming even more serious, Vaneann turned to look into his eyes and Joseph struggled to maintain his composure, lest he faint from the frightening stare. "I want that footage uploaded onto the master computer, _pronto_," she said, her voice thick with what he and his colleagues referred to as 'the zero bull****ing tone'. It meant that playtime is really over and woe unto the individual who are caught slacking off during that time. "In the meantime, I will arrange for a meeting with the higher ups in the next few hours."

Gulping down his fear, Joseph finally mustered the courage to ask, "What do you make of this?"

Vaneann continued to face Joseph. "Any disappearances on such a massive scale indicates that something major in the world is happening, often for the worst. The fact that the entire island have disappeared off the map means that powerful forces are at work there and, chances are, they don't want anyone to see what they're up to."

"Meaning that it could be bad for the world if they succeeded," Joseph concluded.

"Of course, Joseph," Vaneann gave Joseph a smile that threatened to freeze his blood solid, figuratively of course, though literally it won't be surprising. She then sighed. "Who knew the end of days would start as a whisper?"

''''''''''''''''''''''''''

40 minutes later...

Constantina's Bedroom.

"Constantina! Constantina! Guess what I did today! I'd used that technique you taught me and won many times!"

Melody's sudden intrusion jerked Constantina from her Latin Studies homework and the latter looked up with sheer annoyance. For the umpteenth time, the little vampire girl had entered her room without knocking and had distracted her in such a totally uncalled for way. If Constantina wasn't a longsuffering person, she would've hung Melody by her feet over the doorpost by now.

"That's great, sweetie," Constantina said, giving her a strained smile. "Um, care to explain what you're talking about?"

"That super-rapid, button mashing trick you taught me," Melody explained, grinning. "The first time I used it, my Johnny Cage tore through a noob's Scorpion within a few seconds. It was a flawless victory!"

Though she was smiling, Constantina secretly wished she hadn't introduced Melody to Mortal Kombat Online. Not only was she addicted to the often violent and gory video game but she was even trying to emulate some of the characters' moves. During her first sparring lesson, Melody had even tried to commit a 'fatality' on one of the practice dummies. Fortunately, her instructor wasn't familiar with the game and he'd chalked it up to 'a very creative, yet somewhat disturbing, approach to combat'. However, what Constantina feared the most was that her mother would eventually find out about Melody's obsession and traced it back to her. Though Melody is actually 50 years old, she appears to be around 11 years of age, human-wise, and that is what really mattered to her mother.

Constantina really don't want to get into trouble, again.

"That's lovely, sweetheart. However, do you mind um, going somewhere else to play? I really got to study for the big test next week."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Melody said as she remembered something. "The matriarch wants to talk to you about something. She wouldn't tell me what it is, not that I asked."

Constantina smiled as she regarded Melody warmly. "Melody," she finally said. "It's okay to start calling her 'Mother'. You don't have to be so aloof. If she didn't want you, she would let you know."

Melody looked sheepish. "It would be weird if I call your mom anything else beside 'Matriarch'. You two are pretty much the head dogs here, so to speak. I would never amount to that, no matter how hard I tried." A look of dejection overshadowed Melody's face.

Constantina got up from her chair and went over to Melody, surprising her with a tight hug. "No matter who you once were, we will always love you, Melody," Constantina said, running her fingers through her white hair. "You're just as important to us as those we cherish everyday and as the siblings I no longer have."

"Thanks... Constantina," Melody breathed as Constantina finally let go. "Well, I'm going back online to look for more noobs to own. I'll see you later."

"Remember that it's our little secret," Constantina winked as she held up an index finger to her lips.

Melody made a 'zip it' gesture over her lips. "Even Madame Kristiana can't read my mind, much less make me talk." Smiling, Melody turned and ran out of Constantina's room.

Standing straight up, Constantina stretched her arms outward before rotating them. Breathing slowly, she reminisced the day she and her mother rescued a homeless and terrified Melody from her Templar pursuers that fateful London night. Finding out that Melody's family was murdered two years before that time, as well as countless others, the matriarch ordered her finest hackers to launch a punitive attack on the British financial institutions' databases in retaliation. Though the Templar's own technicians finally stopped the attack in its late stages and have increased the databases' security, the fiasco cost them millions of pounds and pushed the country into a brief but painful recession that caused the society's agents to worry for their own bank accounts and savings, thus giving many vampires and werewolves some relief and justice. To this day, the Templar remained ever insecure and watchful over the UK's financial assets.

To Constantina, Melody is the sister she should've had, despite her immaturity and other flaws. She's a much better sister than the often narcissic and selfish Pricilla, who is now the adopted daughter of Sir Morris, the patriarch of House Tredafar. As much as she was hurt by Pricilla's renouncement of her own house and heritage, Constantina believed that she can stay where she is for all she cared.

Flexing her fingers, Constantina walked out of her room and navigated through the hallways until she reached her mother's bedroom. Knocking on the heavy chestnut wood door, Constantina waited until her mother bid her to come in. Entering, Constantina was met by a whiff of fragranced smoke. Smelling lavender and cherry blossom, Constantina's eyes traced the thin stream of smoke to an incense burner on a large, antique desk on the other side of the room, next to the side entrance that led to the master bedroom. Portraits of past relatives and ancestors hung on the walls of the large, dimly lit room, some large enough to dwarf a king-sized bed. A relaxing coolness permeated the entire area.

On the other side of the desk sat none other than the matriarch Catherine Alderridge, still wearing her silk nightgown. Her golden, curly tresses fell to her lower back, accented with streamers of long, black ribbons. Her pale face, though still very beautiful, was beginning to show signs of slight wrinkling that only made her look more mature and even fiercer. Her red wine-colored eyes watched as her remaining biological child and successor walked closer, stopping about a meter from her desk.

"Hi mother," Constantina said quietly, overwhelmed by the sheer nostalgia of the place. It's been ages since she was last here. "Is there something you need of me?"

Catherine inspected her daughter for a moment before replying, "I trusted that you are preparing yourself for that fateful day, no? You are 98 years old after all, 17 years old human-wise."

"May I ask what do you mean by 'fateful day'?"

"It's a pity that neither I nor your father have prepped you for this talk, no doubt due to our house's... discomfort, which was followed by his death. Gaia knows that certain events can keep a person's mind off of vital duties." Catherine reached into a drawer and pulledout two empty glasses and a glass pitcher filled with a dark red liquid. She then set the two glasses down and poured some of the liquid into each of them. Taking a glass, Constantina took a sip, enjoying the liquid's sweetness.

"Sweetblood," Catherine spoke, noticing Constantina's reaction. "Historically, vampires once drank the blood of diabetic humans who couldn't control their blood sugar levels effectively. However, concerns over weight gain and insulin toxicity, coupled with having no way to control the sugar content, eventually led us to adding varying amounts of corn syrup to blood. Of course, this generation have invented HemoTastes so that we can enjoy human fruit juices and beverages too."

"I daresay that we're trying to live as freely as the humans, if only some of them weren't oppressing us."

Catherine gave Constantina a tired smile. "It is often said that, in the Third Age of the world, vampires once ruled over the humans. In fact, we weren't so different from them back then as we are now. Unfortunately, our race knows only a little, if at all, about our past. We don't even know what turned us into the bloodsucking creatures we are now. If the records and relics during that time even existed, they had either been destroyed or hidden away in a safe place. Unless we have them once again or at least some other clues about our past, we're only grasping at straws here."

Constantina paused as she listened to her mother intently. "How come I get the feeling that my 'fateful day' are related to that?"

"Your deduction is correct, Constantina," Catherine said as she clasped her hands together. "For thousands of years, it is a tradition for a vampire youth to learn of the world around them. The budding youth is to spend a period of two to three weeks, depending on social status, exploring the entire world and learning of its people and cultures, usually with only the basic necessities. However, the youth must also encounter supernatural entities and regions the human governments keep veiled from their own citizens, the so-named 'secret world'. In doing so, the vampire youth proves his or her maturity and is welcomed into adulthood with a celebration, as their experiences have molded and shaped them into resourceful and knowledgeable adults. As the humans aptly say: 'Experience is the best teacher'."

"So, while the youths are exploring the world, they often come across relics of our past?" Constantina asked, starting to see her mother's point.

"That is correct and, despite often being found in human temples, they are easily identified as they have markings that only we can understand. Our language haven't changed much for thousands of years."

"So, were I to spend two...three weeks exploring the world, would I be expected to find these relics?"

"Remember I said that most of the relics had either been destroyed or hidden? Even as my successor, you wouldn't be expected to even find the relics. However, by the providence of Gaia, you will come across one of them. When you do, please be sure to send it to us at all costs, as even one of them provides a wealth of information about our past."

Constantina thumped her fingers on the desk as she became deep in thought. Finally, she asked, "So, when can I start?"

"Well, you're in luck," Catherine glanced toward a clock on the wall. It read 7:17 am. "An hour ago, Francine Vaneann reported that Joseph witnessed Solomon Island disappearing off the coast of Maine. She has arranged for a meeting in twelve minutes in the conference room. I am to meet with my aides, as well as the representative from the Neo-Britannica Council. I may not be a psychic but I can sense a field assignment coming your way soon."

Constantina blinked. The Neo-Britannica Council is a lawmaking and governing body that represented the interests of the Neo-Britannica Union, the confederacy of the eight remaining vampire houses of the UK. In layman's terms, the Neo-Britannica Council is the vampire equivalent of the Council of Venice for the human secret societies. Yet, unlike its human counterpart, members of the NBC (curse that embarrassing abbreviation!) are much more united by common interests, including the search for truth. However, like its human counterpart, each house do have its own interests and ambitions, some colliding with that of its peers. The fact that the NBC is getting involved meant that this is going to become something major.

"Being given a field assignment to complete helps a vampire youth to mature faster than when completing the two to three week exploration of the world," Catherine continued. "As a field assignment is usually of great importance to us, the prospective adult is expected to learn how to adapt to changing conditions, as well as to utilize every resource available. They are also expected to gather much information, as well as to fight against both human and monstrous enemies whenever necessary. For this reason, a vampire youth is sent to the assignment fully equipped as opposed to another taking the rite of passage into adulthood via the traditional method. The youth is also given a means of communication to relay information back to his or her faction as well as instructions on how to teleport relics and other items of power to the appropriate locations."

"Great, so would I be sent along with other vampire youths?" Constantina asked.

"Usually, prospective adults are often sent to a field assignment together if they're of lower social class. However, in your case, vampire youths from higher classes are expected to be great leaders and role models so they are sent alone." Constantina's face was blank in shock.

Catherine only smiled. "Don't think that it's a severe disadvantage, sweetheart. As a vampire of noble birth, especially a successor, you have the right to request for a squad of warriors should the situation calls for it. In addition, you may act as a representative of your house to other vampires on the field, be it with those of another house of the Neo-Britannica Union or those of a foreign faction. You can also negotiate with non-vampire factions, such as werewolf packs or even the humans if necessary, for example. However, you are limited to making temporary coalitions and exchanging items and information; official alliances are handled by the Council."

"So, if I was to complete this field assignment, would I have completed the rite of passage into adulthood?"

"Well, it's dependant on your actions on the field as well as how often you request for resources from us. In addition, the difficulty of the assignment and its length are also determining factors. Basically, if you show that you are capable of making the right decisions in a given situation, that you have a degree of self-sufficiency, and that you can use your given resources wisely, you are almost always given the right to call yourself an adult. Of course, if the assignment is too short or too easy, you would still be required to complete additional assignments, though."

"These criteria makes the assignment sound as if it's one huge test," Constantina responded, downing the rest of her sweetblood.

"It is, Constantina, just like the three week exploration. In fact, just like the three week exploration, there is a very important requirement that must absolutely be fulfilled, no matter the costs: you must survive. It's even harder to do so when a vampire youth is sent on a field assignment: casualties rates are very high among such youths, especially when the Templar and Kronos are involved too. You are aware of what Kronos is?"

"Yes, mother. Kronos is a terrifying miasma, an evil and ageless substance that has a mind of its own."

"Your answer is correct. As Gaia's dark twin, Kronos seeks to spread its influence across the world, corrupting everything it touches. It is the embodiment of chaos and destruction, with even its members fighting and scheming against each other when there are no nearby humans to kill or to convert. I do believe that the humans called it by a very appropriate name: the Filth."

Recalling the nightmare she'd had a few days ago, Constantina was beginning to wonder whether it was connected to Kronos. It seemed to be unlikely, though she knew that there was surprisingly only a little information on the substance in the NBU's database.

"So, what do I do now?" Constantina asked her mother.

Getting up, Catherine put on a thick, red robe and tied it closed. She then slipped on some slippers. "I suspect that the meeting would last a long time so you are free to do what you like," she said as she gave Constantina a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. As she walked toward her door, she stopped to look over her shoulder. "If you choose to go outside this early in the daytime, make sure you take your sun block with you and watch carefully for the Templar. You will be contacted when we are finished."

Catherine finally left the room, leaving Constantina to her devices.

''''''''''''''''''''''''

8:47 am

10 minutes later...

topside, Ealdwic District of London

Constantina smiled in bliss as she savored the crisp breeze of the cool morning. Wearing a red sweater with black stripes, she also wore blue jeans and a fur-trimmed, pink parka with the hood drawn over her head, hiding her face from any nearby Templar. Her skin was shiny due to the sun block that kept her protected from the sun's rays. Though it would've technically be late at night for her, Constantina wanted to take a walk to see London during its daylight hours.

Passing by a group of humans, Constantina walked in the direction of London's most secretive place: Darkside. Home to many weird humans and not-so-humans, this place is filled with dark myths and scary legends that tend to scare away all but the most curious of mundane humans. However, the stories that originate here are always guaranteed to be ninety-nine percent warning, as those who foolishly enter this place unarmed or unwary are never seen again.

Stopping by a collection of vendors selling their wares to customers, Constantina glanced at a particular stall, already fancying a 'late night' snack. Recognizing the vender, she smiled as she stepped into view, catching his attention. The vendor in question looked like a pale, hairless humanoid being with four fangs on his lower jaw. His glossy, pitch-black eyes widened in surprise when he also recognized her.

"Hola, Dante!" Constantina greeted, waving at him. "Mucho bien this day is?"

"Santo Gaia, I'd never expect to see you in this place at this ahora!" the chupacabre breathed in surprise with a Spanish accent. To any attentive listener, his high-pitched voice made him sound like George Lopez. "You must be dating a human to be up around this time, princesa Constantina."

Constantina's flat stare caused Dante to quickly retract his comment, chuckling. "Easy there, it's just a joke! I'm serious here!"

Constantina couldn't help but to grin. "You and your little jokes. Sometimes I forget that you're not being serious."

Dante shrugged. "Heh, I'm a comedian, just like mi padre. Anyway, you're here for some comida?"

"Hmm, I'll take a couple of tacos, por favor." As Dante began preparing the tacos Constantina looked around, noticing two people chatting together near the entrance of Darkside. Both were males, judging by their body type, and were dressed in heavy, hooded jumpsuits that were steel grey in color and dirty. Their gloved hands held a variety of sharp implements while an array of needles spouted out of their gas masks' mouthpieces from where a hose would be. Even to Constantina, they looked menacing indeed. Perhaps they were the reason why her mother warned her about going anywhere near Darkside.

"Who are those guys?" Constantina asked Dante, pointing at the two characters.

Dante shrugged, looking confused as if she should've known already. "They're vampires, just like you, princesa. Couldn't you smell them at all?"

"I would be able to if they weren't wearing those thick clothing," Constantina said levelly as she kept her eyes on the two vampires. "Speaking of which, I wonder why they're still wearing those anyway. Sun block is very common and extremely cheap, not to mention very effective for up to nine hours. Also, there's always makeup and plenty of ways to disguise one's pale face."

"I dunno, princesa. They even wear those at nighttime. Perhaps you should go ask them."

Constantina quickly shook her head as Dante offered her the finished tacos. Paying him, she squirted some HemoTaste onto a taco and took a bite, blushing as she savored the resulting taste. "I trust them as far as I can throw them. Anyway, does any Templar come over here often?"

"A few or more come here nearly everyday, either in uniform or in plainclothes," Dante answered as he nibbled on one of his sausages. "They usually give only an uninterested glance at those vampires, knowing full well who they are. I dunno why they're hunting your familia or group down but it may not only be because you all are vampires."

Constantina narrowed her eyes at this as she became deep in concentration. If the Templar are only massacring vampires, werewolves, and loyal humans who are known to belong to the Neo-Britannica Union, their motives in doing so may be of a political nature.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot: every now and then, that Templar abuela comes by to check on the Haitian market and stuff. She doesn't like me much so I spit on her taco whenever she's not looking. After she takes a bite, she'd even remarks that the taco sauce is 'nice and thick'. Hah hah, joke's on her!"

Constantina chuckled at the thought of Julia unknowingly sinking her teeth into a taco with chupacabre saliva intermingled with the taco sauce. If Constantina was there at the time with a camera...

"Heh, when she finds out, you'd better leave England extremely fast, Dante," Constantina giggled.

"Don't worry; I know of a secret passage that'll lead me out of this city," Dante winked. "This is one chupacabre the hombres de rojo won't catch!"

"Okay, I do believe that it's time for me to get going," Constantina said as she checked her watch. It read 8:52 am. She then wrapped the remaining taco up in napkins before sticking it into her purse. "I'll see you next time, amigo."

"Same to you, princesa!" Dante said, grinning as he waved at her. "Hasta manana."

As Constantina walked through the entrance to Darkside, the two vampires noticed her and began to follow her inside, sniffing the air via air holes. As Constantina walked deeper into the older parts of London, she became keenly aware that there was something behind her. The moment her heightened sense of hearing heard someone behind her breathing rapidly, Constantina looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening in both tension and fear at the sight of the two heavily clothed vampires. Both of them were walking with a purpose, obviously tailing her. Thinking fast, Constantina quickly entered a side alley and ran down its length. Despite her superhuman speed, the two vampires were somehow a bit faster and Constantina glanced behind her in terror as the duo got closer every second. Looking ahead, Constantina saw that the other end of the alley was clear and begin to formulate a plan inside her head. She was almost finished with the plan when, to her chagrin, a third heavily clothed vampire stepped into view. Noticing her, he quickly stood in her path to block her escape. In his hand was a .45 millimeter Glock pistol with a laser sight, which he aimed at her heart. Knowing that any additional action would be both futile and fatal, Constantina skidded to a stop and held up her hands as her pursuers finally caught up with her. A faint but irritating scent of silver wafted from the barrel of the weapon and into her nose.

Constantina was trapped, outnumbered, and at the mercy of her captors.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the newcomer mused through his gas mask, his voice muffed but otherwise coherent. "A female vampire who's roaming these morning streets, dressed as a human, and by the smell of _Rose a la Château_, you must be a rich girl too. Who knows, you're probably some patriarch or matriarch's daughter, especially one affiliated with the Neo-Britannica Union."

Despite her predicament, Constantina remained calm, having been taught how to negotiate with volatile elements, including these street vampires. "What do you want from me?" she asked, surprised by how calm she sounded.

The lead vampire shrugged as he slowly walked toward Constantina, keeping his aim steady, which proved him to be experienced." Well, we _could_ do a lot of things with you," he said. Constantina could almost sense dark desires staring at her through those tinted goggles. "We can simply kidnap you and hold you for ransom. If you proved to be a house ruler's daughter, we'll be filthy rich in a matter of days. Or we can turn you in to the Templar and earn our keep. You see, they don't care about us, only your type, and they give us a sackful of pounds and a gallon of donated human blood for every NBU-affiliated vampire we hand over to them. They let us keep the werewolves and loyal humans to do as we wished with them, even to submit to the Fight Club and to place bets on and against them. You could still hear them screaming and yelling as they were torn into bloody pieces. Delicious!"

An intense feeling of fury rose up inside Constantina and, for a moment, she wished that every Templar in the world would just drop dead. However, though it would allow the equally cruel and calculating Illuminati to quickly fill in the power vacuum and extend their control over western Europe, Constantina didn't feel like caring at all. At least the hated Redcoats would be gone forever.

"Or we can do something that's even more exciting...," A tone of perversion welled up inside the vampire's suggestive comment. "You're still a virgin, babe? Don't worry, we can fix that faster than you can say, 'Tommyknockers'."

"Jolly good," one of the vampires behind her said, causing his friend to chuckle darkly.

Constantina only narrowed her eyes. "I'd rather die than to let you violate me. You're going to have to kill me first."

Despite the rash challenge, the vampire didn't pull the trigger. His comrades muttered noisily behind her.

"What's the matter?" Constantina continued to poke the bear. "I can tell that you're an experienced killer who kills his victims without remorse or thought, yet you won't shoot me. Even a flesh wound from a silver weapon can slowly burn me up unless something is done about it quickly. Why won't you kill me, huh?! You can't stand the thought of having to rape a pile of ashes or do you have other plans for me?"

At first, it looked as if the vampire would shoot her. However, he sighed deeply before lowering the weapon. To Constantina's surprise, he chuckled. "You must be one hell of a negotiator to know that I have better use for you alive than dead," he finally said. "In fact, my brothers and sisters need more vampires to join their ranks. Change is coming and we will be its messengers."

Constantina raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"You have to understand, sweetie, that it is our destiny as vampires to supplant that cruel and barbaric regime known as humanity. We may not have had your sheltered, well-educated, and soft-handed upbringing, princess, but we do have our oracles who once spoke of an age in which we ruled the hairless apes, who were exactly the animals they deserved to be back then. It was by the same token that these humans later rebelled and overthrown us and are now threatening us with extinction. Unless we strike back soon, vampires as a race will vanish into oblivion, forever."

"Ha, what insincere rubbish! You called yourselves saviors of the vampire race and you're selling us out to the bloody Templar?!"

The vampire shrugged nonchalantly. "Only those who would refuse our invitation are given to the Redcoats, as they might as well become traitors for all they're worth. Those who accept; however, now enjoyed the chance to march with us into a brand new age."

"We are a diminished race, you buffoon!" Constantina hissed, baring her fangs. "What you speak of is an all-out war against the humans. Even if we can rip them apart in melee, they are far more numerous and heavily armed, not to mention very resourceful. We won't stand a chance!"

"There's no need to worry, princess!" the vampire reassured, gesturing. "We are not alone; we have a very powerful ally who's been here since creation. She Who Whispers assures us that our victory will be at hand! She'd even sent us dreams... no... _visions _of Her will and desire to remake the world into a better place. Once we'd accepted, She'd also gave us... gifts that made us more powerful than ever before! I'm telling you, there's no stopping us now!"

"She Who Whispers?" Constantina asked him, feeling confused. "Surely, you don't mean Gaia-?"

"TO HELL WITH GAIA!" the vampire roared. "Lemme tell you about Gaia: she favors us no longer! She favors those _monsters_ out there, those _humans_ who poison and scar her precious planet, _in return_! Despite their ungratefulness, she cherishes them more than she had ever cherished us! You have seen the signs haven't you, princess?! Out there, Gaia's bees are buzzing, flying into the mouths of the undeserving humans, changing them from within, and turning them into empowered and merciless conduits of destruction who are filling the ranks of the human secret societies that plague this world, including the Templar who hunts your precious Union down on a daily basic. However, She Who Whispers hates her as much as we do and wants us to be freed from her, forever. With Her guidance and tools, we will snip Gaia like a backbiting weed and will scour the world of her sapient and hateful mold. Gaia will get her comeuppance soon enough, just like the epitome of true evil she is!"

"No, that's not true..., "Constantina said, unwilling to believe the vampire. However, a part of her begin to question whether Gaia was really with them.

"Have you seen how bees approached a vampire?" the vampire continued. "First, they get closer to you as if to see whether you're human or not. Next, they quickly pull back as if your true nature have been uncovered. That's your sign! Gaia considers us to be exactly what the humans think of us, as bloodthirsty, inhumane, and soulless monsters! Yeah, they took the rightful description of their race and placed it on us! We're the victims here and they are the real monsters!"

"But not all humans are like that! Some of them even make good friends-"

"Heh, a human is a creature who'll get as close enough to you as it would take to stab you in the back with a nice, sharp, silver-bladed knife. Just ask my sister's ghost. She was only a human's girlfriend until her secret was uncovered. Unfortunately for her, the human in question was a Templar rookie who was obviously lost about his society's cautious but relatively peaceful attitude toward our kind and knifed her with a silver-bladed pocket knife. Fortunately, I'd found the asshole in a back alley and made him suffer for the remainder of his pitiful life. Even now, I still savored that long night of cauterizing every square inch of his intestines with a red-hot poker while he was injected with adrenaline just so that he can stay conscious. Before I'd finally chopped off his head, I'd even turned him into a vampire so that he wouldn't die from blood lost so that he can suffer for a much longer time!"

"Yes, you are right," Constantina calmly said, her eyes darting everywhere to locate an escape route. "Some humans are truly rotten eggs who want everyone else to feel as miserable as themselves. However, some humans can love you so much that they are more than willing to sacrifice their lives to save yours."

"Well, enough of that!" the vampire growled underneath his gas mask. "The end of the world is nigh so stand with those who'll emerge victorious when the dust settles! Join us and, together, we shall reestablish our great race to its former glory. Help us to exterminate the foul humans and we will triumph! So, what do you say?"

Constantina rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she ran the vampire's offer through her head. Though the thought of the vampire race reemerging back to prominence excited her greatly, she just couldn't wrap her fingers around the fact that it involved culling the human race. If anything, the humans make great servants, if not only friends. However, she didn't fancy ending up as a head on a silver (curse the metal!) platter in front of a sneering Julia. "While your offer is...enticing, it seemed to be a huge mouthful for me at the moment. You will understand that my upbringing requires me to think things through before acting, rather that to take the 'don't think, just do it' approach." Constantina hoped the vampire would buy her excuse.

As first, it seemed that he wouldn't be suckered by it. However, the vampire seemed to nod in understanding. "Typically of the bloody blue-bloods, eh?" he calmly said, chuckling in derision. "To tell you the truth, I feel sorry for your kind and it's _not_ because the Templar are hunting you guys down. All the fancy etiquette and the useless manners, the boring social balls and the deadlocked council meetings or whatever. You noble vampires don't know what it feels like to be free, roaming the streets and being your own boss and making your own rules. Living a hard life with lots of freedom is better than living a sheltered one while feeling imprisoned."

The vampire turned toward his two comrades standing behind Constantina. "C'mon, let's go guys. There's a fight at the club I don't want to miss. I think Conarske is fighting those two scrap golems today."

At the mention of the famous fighter's name, the two vampires eagerly followed their leader down the alley, passing by Constantina. Though she could barely smell one of the vampires' scent, she wrinkled her nose when she also smelled a strange and sour odor that momentarily filled her with dread before disappearing as quickly as it have appeared.

As the others ran ahead, the lead vampire stopped and turned to face Constantina. "Think long and hard about what I'd said, princess!" he called out to her. "If you decide to accept my offer, you know where to find us... or we'll find you. You will enjoy the rich blessings She Who Whispers has to offer. However, if you choose to refuse our offer or to foolishly send a raid our way, you had better not let us see you again." Holding his stare for a moment, the vampire finally turned and chased after his friends before disappearing from sight.

"What was that about?" Constantina wondered out loud. Walking down the alley, Constantina found another that lead back to the brightly lit streets of Ealdwic and walked down it as well, eventually making her way outside. Placing her hands in her coat pockets, Constantina walked southward, already pondering many things in her head. _"~Who is this 'She Who Whispers' he's talking about? What are those vampire vagabonds planning to do? There's no way he could be right: his time on the streets has rendered him insane. However, my mother didn't want me to be anywhere near Darkside. Could it be because those vampires once said the same things to her but she'd considered them to be rubbish or did she knew and believed all along that Gaia has forsaken us and thus didn't want me to find out for myself?"~_

The more she'd thought about it, the more Constantina became distressed. Finally, she shook her head of the thoughts and continued down Via Antiqua. She was about to think about Melody when her phone ringed. "Yes?" she answered.

It was Kristiana. "Your mother have me to call to inform you that the meeting's over, rather quickly I'd say, and that you are to come back here and get plenty of rest."

"Why, what's the matter?" Constantina asked, already getting a feeling of what she would say.

"In the wee hours of tonight, you are to pack your gear and report to several people for briefing, as well as to say your goodbyes. You have been chosen to embark onto a field assignment to Solomon Island to investigate what's going on there. Congratulations, you're on your way to becoming an adult."

"Hmm, that's um... great, I suppose. Can't wait until I stick my toes into a foreign soil for a change."

"Constantina, is everything's okay?" Kristiana became worried. "You sound as if Gaia has abandoned you or something."

Constantina rolled her eyes. When it comes to cheering someone up, Kristiana is the type of person who should really be used only as a last resort. "More like someone has sucked the life out of me."

Kristiana was silent for a moment. Finally, she responded, "I understand that all of this seem to be such a heavy burden to bear, especially as a successor. Every leader in the world, vampire, human, werewolf, or otherwise, often feel that everyone else is counting on them to make the right choices, even if said choices appear to be in the wrong. However, if you feel that anything, _anything_, is threatening to crush you, I am one of those who you can talk to. Your secret will be safe with me, unless I feel the need to tell your mother. You understand?"

"Yes, Madame."

"Jolly good," Kristiana said. Constantina could almost feel the warmth from her voice overwhelming her. "Now get plenty of rest, okay? You have a big day tomorrow. Gaiaspeed to you."

"Gaiaspeed to you too," Constantina bid Kristiana farewell before hanging up. Looking around, Constantina knew that there were too many humans around to run atop the rooftops like last night without being seen so she decided to take a normal stroll back to Darningham Cemetery. Her mind was filled with uncertainty, both about what she was brought up to believe and, just as important, what would become of her in the future.

Only Gaia knows, ...if she is still with them.


	5. Chapter 4: First Step in Madness, Pt 2

**Disclaimer: I own none of the works belonging to the author(s) and game designer(s) employed by Funcom, the makers of the Secret World, neither do I own any of the characters, factions, monsters, and places inside said media, save for those imagined and created by me.**

**Chapter 4: First Step into Madness, Pt 2**

Alderridge Underground Complex, underneath Darningham Cemetery

London, England

9:28pm

Constantina yawned softly as she packed some more clothing into a backpack. In the side pockets were small, empty glass vials, along with rubber tubing, needles, vials of anticoagulant, and two spray bottles of sun block. A handful of HemoTastes were also packed, as well as her laptop and MP3 player. Finally, she packed a copy of '_Surviving Through Supernatural Catastrophes For Dummies', _stuffing it into one of the front pockets.

Putting the backpack on, Constantina took what would be the last glance at her room for a long time before turning toward the door. She was about to take a step when someone with white hair rushed into her room and tackled her with such force that she was knocked onto her back. Groaning, Constantina looked down and gently raised the person's chin up to take a closer look. She was met with a pair of tear-filled eyes.

"Please, don't go... *Sniff!*" a crying Melody begged her. Her tears and drool formed a wet spot on Constantina's sky blue blouse. "I've heard that they were... *sniff* sending you there. Some of the others are talking about the Kronny being there too. I think that the bad humans, included the *sob* Red People, will be there too. I've been having *sob* nightmares about the Boogeyman inside some carnival and... and... the Pumpkinman too. I- I don't want to *sniff* lose you."

Smiling knowingly, Constantina sat up and gave Melody a hug, comforting the younger vampire. "There, there," she muttered, lightly kissing Melody on the forehead. "I'm a vampire, sweetie. Unlike a human, it will take far more than plain old swords and claws to kill me. On top of that, I'm smart and resourceful. Few foes are able to outthink me. I can promise you that."

"But I'd heard from Joseph that most *sob* vampires die on their first assignment! *sniff* The only other combat experience you ever had behind the frequent sparring was fighting with Marianna over the last blood pudding pie two weeks ago! You're too *sob* inexperienced!"

Constantina glowered dangerously. When she gets her hands on Joseph for making Melody this afraid, she'll... "Cheer up, Melody," she finally said, gently rocking her back and forward. "There's always a first time for everything! Sure, this is a very dangerous assignment and there will always be deaths. However, I assure you that I'll be back here alive, no matter what. I promise."

Melody remained silent for a moment. Finally, she digged in a pocket and pulled something out. It was a necklace with a bee-shaped medallion cast in bronze. A tiny bluish crystal was inserted into the thorax of the insect, glowing with a strange, soft light. Constantina gasped in wonder as Melody placed the medallion into her hands.

"Before my papa was killed by the Templar, he gave me this," Melody explained as Constantina closely examined the medallion. "He said that Gaia still loves us, just as she loves the humans, and this necklace is proof that she will protect us too. This necklace reminds me too much of my dead family so you can keep it. Wear it and you will be protected too."

At first, Constantina was about to object, as she didn't know what the necklace would do to a vampire. However, one look at Melody's pleading eyes convinced her that it was for the best. With a shrug, Constantina put on the necklace and whined softly, expecting to be immediately consumed by eldritch fire. However, nothing happened and she breathed a sigh of relief as she turned her attention back to a now smiling Melody.

"Thank you, Constantina" she finally said.

"You're welcome, Melody," Constantina responded, smirking. "When I get back, what do you say we play a few rounds of Mortal Kombat?"

Melody's eyes lit up like Christmas lights. She quickly wiped her eyes and mouth dry. "I can hardly wait! We can even pwn people together! Just make it back alive, will you?"

"Your wish is my command."

"Jolly good!" Melody leaned closer and kissed Constantina on a cheek. "I'll see you next time, then!" Now happier, Melody ran out of Constantina's room, giggling.

With a small smile on her pale face, Constantina stood up and massaged her neck. Taking one last look at her medallion, Constantina took out a list and went over the names of people she's supposed to see before deporting for Solomon Island. Fortunately, Joseph Bannister was first on the list. With an evil smile, she pocketed the paper and exited the room, having it in mind to teach the human a little lesson in shutting up.

'''''''''''''''''''''

Conference room # 2

9 minutes later

"Look, I understand that you're quite beet-red about what I said to Melody but she was the one who came onto me first and asked. You see, I have a weakness for children who show me the puppy eyes."

Chuckling nervously, Joseph watched as Constantina continued to trap him in a corner, smiling viciously. Despite her facade, he could tell that she was pissed. A vein on her head clenched. Constantina then placed a finger on Joseph's chest, causing him to jump.

"Fortunately for you, I finally calmed Melody down," Constantina began to speak as she traced around Joseph's heart with her finger. "However, she's quite sensitive so you've made a bad mistake."

"Does this means that I'll be punished?" he finally asked. Was Constantina hallucinating or was Joseph looking at her hopefully?

"You have quite a masochistic streak, Joseph, especially around the females of our kind," Constantina smirked, to the utter embarrassment of Joseph. The human male blushed like a ripe tomato. "Of course I'll punish you... after you brief me."

"Oh yeah, I'd almost forgot," Joseph snapped out of his musings and handed her a leather case. Opening it, Constantina took out a flip phone and stared at it, amazing at its quality and design. "With that phone, you'll be communicating with us during your field assignment. It comes with stop motion capture and high res recording capabilities, allowing you to capture every monster, ghost, and goblin in all their gruesome glory. Likewise, you can also take pictures of relics and symbols and all that arcane stuff and send them to us if you're having trouble figuring them out on your own or if you want us to simply see what you've found. In addition to the 20 Mb storage, the phone comes with a video conference feature so that we can see your pretty face while you talk to us. Finally and most important of all, the phone's data is heavily encrypted so that the Templar's IT's won't be able to hack into your files and see pictures of your own fashion shots and poses."

Pursing her lips, Constantina shook her head as she placed the phone back into its case and sticked it into one of her blue jeans' pockets. "You're a comedian, you know that?"

"Well, even in my line of work, a geek needs a little fun," Joseph said, shrugging. He then twiddled with his fingers before asking, "So, am I going to be punished now?"

Smiling, Constantina closed her eyes as she placed her hands on the sides of Joseph's hairless face. He blushed when her face became closer to his. When she opened her eyes, they were no longer the color of red wine but of a strange shade of purple that glowed softly. Though werewolves are very resistant to the eyes' enchanting pull and the stare wouldn't work on another vampire, pureblood or otherwise, few humans can successfully avert their eyes from a pureblood vampire's hypnotic gaze.

"You are under my control and; thus, are bound to my will." Constantina said in an enticing voice.

"My will is not my own but yours to command," Joseph said monotonously, his blank stare locked with her eyes.

"Good," Constantina snickered as a great idea came to her. "In the theater storage room are a large variety of costumes. You must pick out a costume from there, put it on, and prance through the hallways to look for your doll maker. I've heard that you always wanted to dress up as a bisque doll, am I correct? There's some makeup in the side room too, if you're interested."

"Affirmative," Joseph responded as he pranced out of the conference room, a dopey grin on his face.

Giggling, Constantina looked at her list as her eyes returned to their normal color. The next person was, unsurprisingly, Kristiana. Crackling her knuckles, Constantina quickly left the room, wondering what Kristiana has in store for her.

''''''''''''''''''''''''

Alderridge Arsenal #1

12 minutes later...

"In any field assignment, you will definitely meet people who are also there for reasons of their own. Some of them may extend their hand to you in goodwill and friendship while others would feel that it's more appropriate to fill you up with silver and anima, instead. Unless you are armed yourself, your death will be easy and swift. However, go into battle with _two_ types of weaponry, not one, and they will be the ones to lay in their own blood. Take your pick."

As Kristiana continued to watch her, Constantina looked around the arsenal, conflicted about which two she should pick. Though she was very proficient in melee, one of the three close-quarter weapons: claws, swords, and blunt weapons, could allow her to inflict more damage. However, Constantina was more into peppering faraway enemies with attacks so she chose an assault rifle from the nearby display of guns.

"I see that you want to keep enemies at bay with anima bullets," Kristiana commented. "Since I won't be there to guide you, I trust that you already have in mind a particular style of fighting you would love to use. Go ahead and choose another weapon that you feel would best complement your style."

Nodding, Constantina walked over to several racks containing the three major magical focuses. Choosing a thick book, Constantina wore the blood magic focus on her back and turned to face Kristiana. With a small smile on her face, Kristiana walked to Constantina and placed her hands on her shoulders, giving her a glance over. "Remember," she finally said. "Keep sharpening your skills and you may even learn a few new tricks. More importantly, avoid battles and encounters you know that would be disastrous. Keep your weapons sharp and your wits about you and you will come home living and breathing to a grand celebration."

With a determined look on her face, Constantina nodded. "You have my promise," she vowed.

"Good, and one other thing: you've made your family and ancestors proud. Keep it up, Constantina."

"Thank you, Madame Kristiana."

"Now that that's taken care of, you do have two more people to meet before departing, correct?"

Constantina took out her list and nodded. "Mother's next on the list and Marianna is last."

"Good, I do believe your mother have some valuable information to give-" Kristiana was interrupted when someone entered the arsenal. Taking a closer look at the newcomer, both Kristiana and Constantina's eyes bulged out of their sockets at what they saw. Wearing a cream-colored 19th century-style, lace ball gown and black short heels with white stockings, the person was also wearing a blonde wig and a bonnet matching with the dress. Even with the faux breasts and the make-up that made his face resemble a porcelain doll, Constantina struggled to hold back a chortle when she recognized him as the human hacker she knew all too well.

_"Yoo-hoo!" _Joseph called out in an airy and falsetto voice, waving a cloth fan at them. "Pardon me, ladies, but have any of you seen my doll maker? I daresay that he's mistaken about some very crucial details of my *ahem*... 'anatomical design'."

The red-hot expression on Kristiana's face was priceless. "Bloody hell, Joseph! How dare you make a fool of yourself!" she growled, baring her fangs. "I don't know what's gotten into you but I will bring you back to your senses, even if I have to break you!"

"Oh dear!" Joseph hiccupped in fright as Kristiana launched herself at him. Despite being a human, he surprisingly dodged her pounce and ran out of the arsenal. "Don't break me, please!" he screamed as he rapidly pranced down the hall with Kristiana in hot pursuit. "I can't even find my doll maker. How am I going to get him to glue me back together?!"

Constantina spend the next 10 minutes or so laughing out loud and slapping her knees. Though Joseph's hypnotized state would last up to only two hours, Constantina felt a tinge of shame for putting him through such an embarrassing spectacle. However, it was bound to happen anyway, as he'd even asked whether he would be punished.

Holding her aching sides, Constantina barely managed to calm herself down as she looked at her list before pocketing it. Finally sobering up, Constantina walked out of the arsenal and made her way to her mother's room. wondering what objectives she would give to her, as well as whatever answers she are willing to provide to a few nagging questions of her own.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Matriarch Catherine's Bedroom

9 minutes later.

"It's finally here: the day in which I bid you farewell before you go off to undergo your trials of adulthood and, if Gaia permits, live to see us again. *Sigh* If only your father was here to bid you farewell, too."

"I miss Father, as well as Richard and..._her_, I guess_." _Constantina muttered, her expression overshadowed with solemnity. "That is why I will not shame this house with failure."

"To tell you the truth, I'd rather that you fail to be recognized as an adult but manage to return back here alive than for me to wake up one morning to receive a box full of your ashes. However, tradition and our house's honor requires that I take the risk." Catherine cocked a brow at Constantina's first comment. "It seems that you're still feeling a bit bitter about Pricilla."

"Who wouldn't?" Constantina glowered. "She'd left our house, even going as far as renouncing our family name when she'd joined House Tredafar, all because our house didn't retaliate against Richard's death quick enough! She didn't understand that any action against the Templar at the time would've exposed us all!"

"I understand that Pricilla often thinks for herself but you have to understand her actions: she loved Richard just as must as you and felt that our inaction is a sign that we don't care about him. Otherwise, she wouldn't even respond in such a way."

Constantina lowered her head slightly, though she still wasn't convinced. "I guess that, from that angle, you have a point..."

"Good," Catherine said with finality before continuing. "Now back to the subject. During the course of the meeting, we were discussing with the NBC rep about Joseph's findings concerning Solomon Island. The rep requested data concerning the level of esoteric energies hovering over the island and compared it with those taken by other satellites owned by the other houses. About a few minutes later, he'd made a startling discovery: the energies we've monitored, as well as the others, were of the highest levels ever recorded. Adding to the surprise was a call from one of House Tredafar's people, Gaia comfort me from that name. It seemed that the energy are radiating not just from Solomon Island but other places in the world, most notably Egypt and Transylvania. There are even choppy satellite images of black, pulsating veins stretching across both regions. It seems that Kronos has finally begun its long-awaited agenda of global domination, just as the prophets had predicted."

"Dark days have cometh," Constantina muttered before asking, "If Kronos is appearing in Egypt and Transylvania, why am I being sent to Solomon Island?"

"Concerning the esoteric energy data on Solomon Island, we found that it is at the lowest levels in respect to the energies at the other two locations," her mother answered, resting her head on a hand. "As esoteric energies often originate from beings with great supernatural potential (e.g. Kronos) as well as rifts in realities, these energies grow with time unless interrupted so it's natural for us to conclude that the Solomon Island fiasco is at its beginning stages, though further investigation is required to see whether Kronos have launched its assaults on the humans yet or why it chose, of all places, a small, insignificant island, which leads to your mission."

"So my field assignment involves seeing what Kronos is up to, as well as to find how to curtail it?"

"That's correct, my child. However, depending on what data you send us, you will find yourself doing more than just that. For example, you may find yourself be asked to do research on a particular item or ritual, especially if they can prove useful to us. Remember, your missions may be at our discretion but that depends on what information you give us."

"I see..."

"Jolly good," Catherine said, clasping her hands together. "Now, before you depart, is there any questions you would like to ask?"

By the conflicted expression Constantina was making, Catherine could tell that something was bothering her and that she wasn't sure how she would react. Finally, Constantina swallowed her fear and asked her a question she'd never expected.

"Does Gaia care about our people anymore?"

Blinking in confusion, Catherine stammered as she struggled to respond to her daughter's unexpected question. "O-of course She still cares about us. Why w-would you ask such a question?"

Constantina paused for a moment, averting her eyes, Finally, she looked back to Catherine and spoke cautiously, "If Gaia still loves us, why are She giving the humans special abilities via bees that can be swallowed and not us? Why are Her bees avoiding us like the plague? Is it because we are twisted creatures, just as the humans say we- ?"

Constantina stopped when she saw Catherine's expression becoming very dark. "Where did you hear that?" she growled slowly.

"Hrm?" Constantina managed to squeaked out as she became stiff with fear.

"Where did you _hear_ that?" Catherine asked with a stronger tone, an eyebrow twitching. "Did you go to where I have forbidden you?"

"Erm, yes Mother-."

Constantina jumped when Catherine slammed her fists on the surface of her desk with such force that parts of it broke off as splinters, the sound erupting like a shotgun's report. Constantina gulped in fear as her mother leaned closer, placing her face within a few inches of hers. Her annoyed expression became a mask of seething fury. "DID I TELL YOU NOT TO GO ANYWHERE NEAR DARKSIDE?! YOU'VE DISOBEYED A SIMPLE ORDER!" she roared.

Constantina squealed when Catherine grabbed her shoulders and squeezed, wincing when her sharp nails pierced into her clothing and skin, drawing blood. "Um Mother, you h-hurting me!"

"You foolish child!" Catherine hissed as her nails dug deeper into Constantina's skin, receiving more squeals. "You dared disregard a simple command! Oh Gaia, now the seed's been planted!" To Constantina's utter surprise, Catherine withdrew her hands and covered her face, sobbing as tears flowed down her face. "Oh Gaia, why?! Not now, _not now_!"

The sudden change on events caused Constantina to become inquisitive and she began to raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Mother?"

"Our theologians, our greatest authorities in our spirituality, " Catherine continued to sob, sniffing back tears. "Most of them believed that the Age of Vampires are gone forever, only to be replaced by the current Age of Humanity, the fourth age. *Sob* They've been saying that Gaia had became increasingly disgusted *sniff* with our kind during the end of the third age, though no one knows exactly what twisted us into monsters of human myths and legends, *sniff* whether it's been our arrogance or something that's even darker. Even Agartha, Gaia's beating and branching heart, is no longer opened to us. Anything other than Gaia-touched humans, Kronos infestations, or constructs that enter Agartha will explode into a gory mess."

Now it was Constantina's turn to be pissed. "_Mother!" _she growled in frustration that bordered on anger. "All this time, you and the others _knew_ that Gaia is distancing Herself from us and you'd never told me?! Why are you keeping me in the dark?! I need to know this!"

Moving her hands away from her face, Catherine looked up at Constantina with tear-filled eyes. "I had to protect you, to protect your happiness," she mumbled. "Unlike now, you were a little vampire girl back then who'd really loved Gaia. In fact, you would've become a priestess when you grew up if it wasn't for Richard's interest in fighting. I couldn't bare to crush that happiness you were experiencing. Even your father threatened anyone with mind wipe and banishment if they told you the truth. We only wanted you to keep that beautiful smile- ."

"ENOUGH, MOTHER!" Constantina yelled, slapping a hand on the table and causing her mother to jump. Flustered with anger, she took a deep breath before continuing in a calmer but still angry tone, "I should've known all along that Gaia was forsaking us! I should've known there was a reason why you told me not to go anywhere near Darkside. I- you know what, maybe I should give this 'She Who Whispers' thing a try. It's better to worship a goddess who won't leave us like Gaia is doing."

Catherine's tearful expression became once again furious. "You would dare contemplate doing such a heinous thing?!" she growled.

"If it's heinous, so what?!" Constantina continued. "Gaia don't care about us anymore! Why can't you see that?!"

"You're not the only one who those vampire cultists spoken to, young lady! I've heard the plans they have for the world. I've heard how much they hated the humans and wished for their extermination. I've even heard them saying that this 'She Who Whispers' existed at the same time as Gaia and, if she's what I think she is, you obviously have no clue about what you're asking for!"

"You're speaking nonsense, old woman! How much do you know of these street vampires, huh?! You spent you lifetime in this complex so who are you to badmouth them! You're really ignorant, you know that-?!"

_*Smack!*_

The force of the slap knocked Constantina out of her chair and onto the floor. Tears forming in her eyes, she touched the forming bruise on her left cheek, shaking. Gathering all of her strength, Constantina quickly got up and launched herself at her mother with a scream. However, Catherine was ready and Constantina yelped when the older and much more experienced vampire grabbed and bent one of her arms behind her back. Constantina grunted as Catherine wrapped her free arm around her throat, putting her in a headlock as she also grabbed her remaining arm. After a few futile struggles, Constantina finally relented.

"You the one to talk, foolish child! You know _nothing_ of those cultists, either! Neither do you know of me! " Catherine then became withdrawn. "At least concerning what I and your father didn't tell you."

Constantina became still as her mother continued to tell her long-kept secret, "Before your father found and took me in three hundred years ago, I was a nervous wreck, not too different from those vampires on the streets. I was drinking myself to death on the blood of human drunks and drug addicts, didn't have anything to live for on the edge of society. Treated like trash by both Templar humans and Neo-Britannica vampires, I'd blamed Gaia for my problems and hated Her even more each day. Just as I was about to join this 'She Who Whispers' cult, your father caught me and whisked me away to a better place. Though I wasn't quite ready for the glittery and polished life as a vampiric noblewoman, he saw through the filth and the harshness and discovered the pure angelic being that was my real self when no one else would. In turn, I saw him as a great person who was willing to give up his reputation and good name just to be with me. even going as far as to marrying me, despite his family's opinions and objections. To this day, I've believed that Gaia had a hand in us becoming as one soul."

Constantina's jaw was agape. To this day, she'd always thought of her mother as being of noble birth. Now, she'd just learned otherwise. For the first time in her life, Constantina found an even greater appreciation for her mother and father. "So," she slowly asked. "How did the other houses felt about you and Father being together?"

"Initially, they all hated the marriage, griping about it being 'unholy' and 'despicable'," Catherine said as she managed to shrug. "However, despite my past, I'd proved to be more than a match for their greatest leaders, slowly but surely gaining their respect over the course of the centuries. First, our family eventually got used to me, and even began treating me as one of their own. Next, Houses Breymore, Callister, Daleshire, Hollibridge, and Ferryton fell into line after them. Before it was eventually wiped out by the Templar, House Francillis too had also taken a liking of me. Even House Tredafar finally relented in the end, though they are still a bit miffed at what your Uncle Cleonis did to one of their precious marksman trophies. Heh, the humans aren't the only creatures who can really hold a grudge!"

Constantina chuckled at this. Feeling that her daughter was no longer after her throat, Catherine released her from the stranglehold. Rubbing her aching neck, Constantina turned around to face her mother, She then wrinkled a brow as she remembered something. "Hey, I forgot to bid the rest of the family farewell!" she gasped.

Catherine only smiled. "Don't worry about that: I'll tell them you said 'bye'. Anyway, do you have any questions to ask me before you leave for Marianna?"

Constantina thought for a moment. "Other than apologizing for my actions earlier, I do have one other question to ask: am I the only vampire of the NBU who's being sent to Solomon Island?"

"To tell you the truth, I do not know, Constantina," her mother finally said. "For the moment, the NBC considered the current fiasco to be at its beginning stages so it's natural to send in only a few people to observe and report, as well as to do whatever is necessary to curtail Kronos' plan to the best of your abilities. However, as the situation escalates, expect more to be on their way, though whether the other houses have already sent people to Solomon Island, I do not know. Best to assume that you're not the only vampire there."

"Thank you, Mother and sorry for what I'd said."

Catherine gave Constantina a tight and warm hug. "I was once like you long ago, believing what the humans and street vampires wanted me to believe. I was like a puppet, getting its strings pulled by others' opinions and beliefs until your father came along. He showed me the truth, finally bringing my mind and soul at peace, yet I am still faltering..." Letting go, Catherine held Constantina out at arm's length, staring into her eyes. "Please promise me one thing, Constantina: Promise me that you will always have faith that Gaia still loves us. Promise me that you won't let anything, including what those cultists are babbling about, put you at unease. Please be like the optimistic girl you once was again. Don't end up like me, okay?"

Lowering her head for a moment, Constantina finally brought it back up, giving a small sigh as she smiled. "I promise."

''''''''''''''''''''

Alderridge Main Library

Conference Room

26 minutes later.

"What happened to your face?" Marianna asked inquisitively, staring at Constantina intently.

Constantina gingerly touched the hand-shaped bruise her mother gave her earlier. "Um, there was a mosquito on my face, so I slapped it to oblivion," she lied.

Marianna snorted. "Well, you must've hated it so much to accidentally bitch-slap yourself in the process."

Constantina rolled her eyes. Sometimes, Marianna was too talkative and honest for her own good. She decided to change the subject. "Anyway, what do you have for me?"

Marianna straightened out and began to talk excitedly. "Ahem, when I heard that they were sending _you_ in first, I was like: '_Are they out of their blooming minds?_'. Besides, it'll be your first time fighting something that really wants to rip your face off and use it as bloody toilet paper," she quipped, winking at Constantina. Currently in her human form, Marianna was dark-skinned, wore her brown hair to her neck, and wore blue jeans with a red top. She was very proficient in magic, despite being a werewolf.

"Ooh, I like it when you're being very poetic," Constantina sarcastically replied, rolling her eyes again. After her meeting with her mother, Constantina had went back to her room to put on a dark blue blouse, as her previous one was torn by Catherine's fingernails and was stained with her blood. "You make a nice Hallmark card writer or something."

"I do try my best," Marianna smiled, showing her oversized canines. She then cracked her knuckles. "Okay, where were we... oh yeah, It's time to teach you one of the most ancient of arts: teleportation."

"Oh goodie," Constantina smirked as Marianna continued.

"First, let me be clear with you: the X-Men character Nightcrawler has it extremely easy, blinking here and there with but a thought. Well, in this crazy world of ours, Nightcrawler doesn't exist and teleportation is a great beast to master which takes a slightly longer time to complete. Fortunately, it's extremely easy to do so don't worry too much about it, though. First, I shall teach you how to draw the basic shape of the teleportation circle. Observe."

Constantina watched as Marianna reached inside a pouch attached to her belt and pulled out a handful of sand. She then watched as the werewolf slowly rotated in place, pouring the sand onto the floor until she created a circle. As she pulled out more sand, she stepped out of the circle and continued to draw several straight lines that connected with points on the circle until a ten-pointed star was formed.

"There, as easy as bitch-slapping a Templar, at least a dead one," Marianna smirked as she turned to Constantina. "You don't really have to carry around a bag of sand, mind you. You can even draw in the dirt with your finger or use some chalk, providing the circle is large enough to contain you and whatever people or artifacts you want to send to a destination."

"Great, so how can I determine where I'm being teleported to?" Constantina asked.

"You say an incantation in Latin that states: "Winds of change and fate, uplift me and take me to...' and you just say the coordinates or name of your destination in either English or Latin. Keep in mind, though, that you are more likely to get to a specific location if you use its exact coordinates on any type of map. If you use the name of the location only, chances are that you'll end up at a random location _within_ that destination. Trust me, you do _not _want to end up materializing in the middle of a Kronos-infected swamp."

Constantina cringed at the thought. "So... that's all to it?"

Marianna shook her head. "Just like adding yeast to dough in order for it to rise, you must add two elementalistic energies to the teleportation circle to activate it and a touch of chaos magic to send you off to the desired location. First, you set the points of the star within the circle on fire using elementalism, then you apply a steady stream of electricity to the flames until the whole thing forms a swirling mass of electricity and fire. Try it now."

Reaching into her pockets, Constantina realized that she didn't take an elementalism focus with her. She then grinned sheepishly at Marianna, shrugging. "I forgot to choose an elementalism focus."

Smiling knowingly, Marianna reached into a pocket and pulling out a pair of rope dolls. "Good thing I have plenty of these," she said as she handed them to Constantina. "Anyway, go ahead and give it a try. Don't worry about the floor, though. The ashes and glass are surprisingly easy to clean up."

Attaching the dolls to her belt loops, Constantina concentrated until she conjured up a fireball. Breathing slowly, she gave the flaming mass a push, causing it to divide into ten jets of fire that lit the ten points of the star. Constantina watched in stunned silence as the fire raced along the lines of sand as if they were soaked with gasoline. Moments later, there was a flaming ten-pointed star on the floor of the conference room.

Bringing her hands together, Constantina slowly pulled them apart, electricity arching among her fingertips. Pushing the electricity toward the flaming star, Constantina kept up a steady stream of electricity as the mixture began to rise, eventually swirling into a swirling, hollow vortex. Constantina cut off the electrical flow when it stopped at about her height. Surprisingly, it was as silent as a breeze, not the raging and roaring, disturbed mass she imagined it to be.

"Bloody hell, I'd almost forgot!" Marianna gasped as she remembered something. "Remember to teleport any relics or items you find to the artifact room inside this library, okay? Any questions?"

Constantina thought for a moment before asking, "There's a question I've be meaning to ask you: what sort of passage into adulthood does a werewolf take?"

Marianne grinned. "Well, our traditions simply require that we go out into the world and kill monsters we encounter and bring back their heads as proof. Though we are forbidden to kill mundane humans or other werewolves, we are allowed to fight humans affiliated with a secret society, including the Templar, and bring their heads in for points. Basically, the more dangerous the foe whose head you present to the Wolfgang Council, the fewer points that's needed for you to be recognized as an adult werewolf. Any more questions?"

Nodding as she processed what was said, Constantina then went back to the subject, "After I create this portal, what should I do next?"

"You simply walk into the circle. Don't worry: it's perfectly safe. Afterward, you put on your chaos focus and thrust a fist into the air, saying the incantation and then your destination, just like I've taught you earlier. In a few seconds, you will teleport off to your destination, kind of like those humans and aliens in those old Star Trek shows, only with much more flair. Of course, I must warn you first that attempting to teleport while in the middle of a thunderstorm or within close proximity of areas heavily infected by Kronos can and will throw you off course en route to your destination. I'd once tried to teleport to Istanbul, Turkey from New Orleans, Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina and ended up in Afghanistan instead. I arrived in one piece, unharmed in any way, of course. I can't say the same for the two Taliban fighters I'd landed on or the large group of their friends I had to fight afterward, though. 'Death from above!', as the American humans love to say. Hmm, what seem to be the problem, Constantina?"

Constantina chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her neck. Beside her, the swirling vortex finally died down, reduced to a pile of ashes and glass granules. "I, um, don't have a chaos focus, either."

Marianna gave Constantina a flat stare. "Bloody hell, you're just like your cousin Eris, aren't you?!" With a sigh, Marianna facepalmed, shaking her head. "Alright, just sweep aside the residue and use some of it to create a new teleportation circle. I'll be right back." Marianna exited the room, muttering under her breath.

Shrugging, Constantina took a small broom from a corner and got to work. As she cleared a suitable area from the circle, someone entered the room. Thinking that it was Marianna coming back with the chaos focus, Constantina was just turning around to greet her when she recognized the gothic attire the person wore.

"Hi coz, I've heard that you was leaving for Solomon Island so I was dropping by to see you off. Also, I've come by to let you know that I'm in charge of receiving your calls concerning your progress on Solomon Island, as well as passing to you new missions given by Aunt Catherine and the Council," Eris said with a smile on her face. She then grinned as she begin to reminisce. "This reminds me of my first assignment in St. Paul, Minnesota during the Battle of the Bands competition. It involved stopping a group of strigoi disguised as a Romanian heavy metal band from dumping a mind-altering drug into the city's water supply, hoping to control the humans there so that they can establish a secret base of operations in the United States. It was harder than I thought and, on many occasions, I almost gotten myself killed. However, as long as I thought of my family here, including our friends and employees, I was able to withstand all the stresses and headaches of the assignment. In the end, I ripped all of them up like Ozzy Osborne ripping out a tune, feeling as apathic and emotionless as a machine, simply because I wanted to see everybody again. Simply because I wanted to go home _alive_."

"That is so sweet..." Constantina gasped softly.

"Yes, so whenever you're feeling trapped or overburdened and death is certain, just remember that we're all counting on you and want to see you alive again and you'll then realize that you have too much at stake to give up easily."

"Thanks."

"Oh, and here's a little parting present," Reaching into a pocket, Eris pulled out a bag containing several small rounded objects. Taking the bag, Constantina looked inside and saw no more than ten spherical objects. She then look up to Eris, who continued, "These are my special batch of stink bombs. They're powerful enough to stun even a monster with a dull sense of smell. However, once a bomb is broken, get the hell out of Dodge while holding your breath and don't let any of the oils get on your clothing. With your sense of smell as a vampire, the stench will knock you out cold."

Constantina carefully placed the bag into her backpack and gave Eris a hug. "Thanks for everything," she said.

Eris nodded before letting go. "Well, " she said before turning toward the door. "I'll see you later Constant... and you've better still be alive. Otherwise, I'll strangle you in the afterlife."

"You have my promise, Eris," Constantina chuckled as Eris left the room. Sweeping the debris aside, Constantina used some of the ashes to recreate the circle. She was about to activate it when Marianna returned, holding a small tikka mask.

"_Please, _for the love of Gaia, don't lose this one or the elementalism focuses I gave you." she said as she handed Constantina the mask. "Without these two crucial objects, you'd better hope that Kronos will let you swim off the island, across the Atlantic Ocean, and back to London because that's exactly what you're gonna have to do. You're ready?"

Slinging the mask across her back with its straps, Constantina nodded. She was about to conjure up fire when someone ran into the other side of the door, pressing his face onto the glass and smearing makeup all over the surface. Both Constantina and Marianna dropped their jaws in stunned shock when they recognized the person.

"Yoo-hoo, _ladies_!" Joseph called out in a falsetto voice, still wearing the costume and still hypnotized. "If you two know where my doll maker is, can you _please _tell him I need him badly? I'm being chased by a crazy woman who's bent on breaking me and only my doll maker can protect me. I'll have a little tea party with you if you tell him. We'll have delicious tea cakes and lots of *Eeek!*" All of a sudden, Kristiana tackled Joseph to the ground, yanking him from sight. A cacophony of squeals and screams erupted as Kristiana locked him into a series of holds that were so painful that even the wrestlers of the WWE would've fainted at the thought of seeing them in action.

"Those two..., " Sighing, Marianna turned to Constantina. "Go ahead and complete your teleportation. I'll deal with these two dipsticks. I'll see you later."

Nodding, Constantina then activated the portal as Marianna stomped her way toward the door. Stepping into the swirling a mass of fire and electricity, She was surprised that she didn't even feel them as she stood in the center of the chaos. Now completely cut off from the outside world, Constantina took a deep breath before thrusting a fist into the air. As her fist became encased with chaos energies, Constantina began to incant, "Winds of change and fate, uplift me and take me to Solomon Island."

As the surrounding chaotic mass spun faster, the chaos energies surrounding her fist dispersed and enveloped her body, whining in her ears like the whirring of jet engines. A few seconds later, she was dissolved into thousands of particles moments before being shot skyward in a flash of white sparkles, sent to a seemly small, insignificant island that's full of secrets as dark as Kronos' obsidian heart.

'''''''''''''''''''''''

League of Monster Slayers tree house

The Savage Coast, Solomon Island

8:34 am

With a tired yawn, Danny Dufresne twirled the bicycle-propelled turret around, peering through the attached binoculars as his friends, or what's left of them anyway, slept in the main structure below him. Despite not having any sleep since nine last night, Danny was too alert to drift into dreamland just yet. Just yesterday, a handful of his friends wandered off in the direction of Red Oak Beach as if in a trance when the fog covered the island, never to be seen again. To add to the mystery, strange chattering and clicking sounds were coming from the surrounding forest. Though Jerome claimed that the wendigoes were prowling around again, Danny disagreed, stating that it was the Pumpkinman who was out, looking for more children to kidnap so that he can eat them.

So far, nothing unhuman was sighted and Danny reclined back into his seat to read another page of the manga titled, 'Supernatural'. "That Dean sure knows how to make a fool of himself," he chuckled. "Who knew that the comic relief can also be a main character too?"

The boards of the tree house creaked as someone climbed up the ladder that lead to the lookout. Looking behind him, Danny relaxed when he saw that it was only Billy, one of the remaining and larger boys in the League and his right-hand man. Picking his nose and licking the soiled finger, as he always do, Billy yawned, bags hanging underneath his tiny eyes.

"I see that you didn't get any sleep either, Bill," Danny broke the ice, a bit disgusted at Billy's habit.

"How can I, after what happened yesterday?" Bill asked, feeling exhausted. He then took a look around the tree house. "I can still see why Willy Dexter built this here tree house, though I doubt that even he'd expected something like this would happen. Anyway, Lucille says those strange calls could be those of the A'kab: giant, _really_ old bugs-like things that's kinda like those things from 'Starship Troopers'."

Danny rolled his eyes. "What does she know, anyway? No one have ever seen an A'kab before. If there was a such thing as an A'kab, someone would've seen one by now."

Billy shrugged. "Well, I didn't believed in the Boogeyman at first until I saw him dancing on top of the roller coaster. Anyway, the past few hours convinced me that we're good as dead if we stay here."

Danny grunted as he peered around with the binoculars again. "This tree house is built atop one of the tallest trees in Black Goat Woods and the rope ladder can be pulled up quickly in case of an attack. Not even a wendigo with wings can touch us here."

"Yes, but that'll mean we'd be stuck up here, forced to eat each other so that we won't starve to death."

"In that case, you'll be first. I bet that you're plump and juicy, too. We can last about two weeks on your meat."

"Hey!"

Danny looked away from the binoculars and turned toward Billy, smiling apologetically. "Just kidding!" he grinned. "Though I don't think we have anything sharp enough to cut through your 'wobbling armor', as Lewis used to say."

"Why don't you shove a stick up my butt and out of my mouth and then spin me around on a spit?!" Billy asked, feeling annoyed, yet surprisingly amused.

Danny chuckled. "Sure, but we would have to find a stick that can hold up your weight without bre-"

Danny was interrupted when an explosion of white sparkles erupted above him and Billy, causing both boys to yelp, shielding their eyes with their arms. Seconds later, a blur zoomed pass them, falling through the roof of the tree house in a crash, creating a huge hole. Dust and commotion rose into the air.

Danny and Billy looked at each other for a moment before climbing quickly down the lookout to see what was happening.

In the communal chamber of the tree house, Constantina shook herself as she began to rise onto her knees, sniffing the air. The place was thick with the scent of humans and... _dirty socks_.

_Bleh._

Constantina slowly looked up... and found herself staring down no less than fourteen homemade weapons, all aimed at her face. Recognizing the common slingshots and BB guns, her eyes widened when she saw, of all things, a few improvised flamethrowers and crossbows. Counting around nine boys and five girls, Constantina chuckled nervously as she slowly straightened up, raising her hands as the weapons tracing her every movement.

"Easy there, sweet children," her voice quavered. Her eyes darted everywhere for an escape route, only to find none. "I won't hurt you. You are not my enemies so will you lower your weapons, _please_?"

Suddenly, two additional boys rushed into the chamber, both armed with BB guns. When they saw her, they both blushed heavily. One of the girls rolled her eyes and muttered something about "Boys".

"It's okay, guys. Lower your weapons," one of the boys said, running his fingers through his head of thick curls. The human children kept their aim on Constantina for a second before slowly relenting. Other than the wary looks, Constantina could also see hints of fear and weariness on their faces.

As Constantina stood up, the two boys walked up to her, their blushing, youthful faces brimming with curiosity. "Wow..., who _are _you and what was all that amazing special effects stuff that brought you here?" the boy who'd ordered the other children to stand down asked her, giddy with excitement. "I mean, that was _awesome_! It's like 'Back From The Future' mixed with 'Jumper' or something! Are you from the future?"

Silently praying that this human kid wouldn't be worse than Melody, Constantina smiled as she patted the boy on the head, causing him to blush even heavily. "Let's just say that I really knows how to make an entrance," she answered. "As for your first question, my name is Constantina."

"Well, your entrance nearly blinded me, though," the boy held out his hand, which Constantina shook. "The name's Danny and this is Billy here, sort of like my second-in-command."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, lovely lady," Billy said as he took Constantina's hand and kissed it. Constantina giggled in response.

"You're quite a charmer, aren't you?" she smirked as she bend over and kissed one of his fingers. It was a British vampire custom for both parties to kiss each other's hands, though only a few do it with a human.

"Uh, Billy picks his nose, _a lot_," Danny said, looking disgusted. "You just kissed the finger he uses."

Her face turning green, Constantina quickly jerked her hand away and furiously wiped her lips with her arm. "Oh _*Pftt!* _Gaia, so gross!" she sputtered loudly.

"Why do you have to tell her that?!" Bill demanded, glaring at Danny, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"You're the one with the gross habit." Danny then turned to Constantina. "Anyway, let me introduce you to the others."

Suppressing the urge to rip Billy's head off, Constantina looked around as Danny introduced his friends one by one. She could tell that something was bothering them that had nothing to do with her presence. When Danny finished the introduction, she asked him, "What's wrong with everyone? Did something bad happened before I got here?"

A somber look appeared on Danny's face as he remembered last night's events. "When the fog rolled onto the island," he began. "We'd never thought that it was anything but the normal kind of fog, you know, that often blankets this island before the beginning of winter. However, some of our friends stopped what they were doing and begin to climb down the tree house one by one before walking toward the nearest beach, disappearing into the fog. The look on their faces was blank, as if they were hypnotized or something. We tried to stop them but they were moving too fast."

"I was one of them, or close to becoming one of them," Billy added, shivering due to the horrifying experience. "First, there was this weird song that was playing in my head. It went something like this: 'La da la la, la da la la' and then some humming and stuff. Next thing I know, my body was moving as if controlled by someone else, and I found myself leaving this tree house and following that song toward Red Oak Beach that's east of here, pass the Overlook Motel. Had Danny not found me, I would've been gone by now."

"Of course, I've found him when the fog pulled back but I wasn't the one who'd stopped him," Danny added. "What kept him from disappearing was that he'd fell into a hole in the ground and got stuck."

"DANNY!"

"_What_, I'm just telling her the truth!"

Constantina became deep in thought as she processed the information inside her head. First the fog, then the siren song leading some of the humans toward the beaches. If this is Kronos' doing, it doesn't fit in with what she was taught. Usually, as an aggressive entity, Kronos would simply swarm the area with its mutated minions to catch the humans and convert them after eating some of them, not try to lure them away with a song. It usually leaves the cunning and the meticulous planning to specialized minions or allied races.

This left Constantina with only one thing to do.

"I'm going to Red Oak Beach to take a look-see," she said with finality, gripping the strap of her assault rifle. "You children stay here until I get back. If I'm not back in thirty-five minutes, consider me to be lost but don't try to come after me."

"No way, I want to go too!" Danny said. Several of the others voiced their eagerness to go. "Our friends are still out there! They may need our-"

"Listen to me, Danny!" Constantina said sternly as she placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "If there are horrible things out there, I refuse to be held responsible if you children are killed. There are things in this world that you should not encounter, for the safety of your peace of mind."

Danny smirked as he held up his BB gun. "Who do you think you're talking to?" he asked as the other adolescents huddled around him, having determined looks on their faces. "We are the League of Monster Slayers. We've fought wendigoes and other creepies and have even planned for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. Geez, you sound like the grownups."

Constantina blinked in confusion. She was about to object when she realized that these human kids could possibly have more combat experience than even she. By Gaia, they were fighting _wendigoes_ around the same human age she was merely reading about them!

Blushing in embarrassment, she finally relented. "Fine then, you can come with me." The children cheered so loudly that her ears were still ringing by the time they stopped.

"_But, _" she interjected as she rubbed the sides of her ears. "You must be willing to obey my every order, even if it proved to be unpopular. Anyway, have anyone seen their friends die before their eyes?" Everyone shook their head.

"I'd met someone long ago who said he saw the mutilated bodies of two boys in the woods," Melvin said.

"Hmm, so you haven't seen the bodies for yourself, right?" Melvin shook his head.

Constantina looked around at the youthful faces. "Before this day is out, all of you will learn the painful lessons of loss and mortality, just as I have a few years ago. Though hopefully it'll never come to that, just remember that you all made this decision a few minutes ago and, therefore, it's your fault. Anyone have any questions?"

Danny raised his hand. "Since I'm the leader of the League, can I be, you know, like your second-in-command?"

"Certainly. Your friends would feel more comfortable being led by a familiar voice. Anymore questions?"

"When are we going to eat?" Billy asked.

Suppressing the urge to grin, which would unintentionally show her fangs, Constantina simply sneered. "First, you better pray to Gaia, God, or whatever deity that strikes your fancy to make sure that it's not you who's going to be eaten. Any questions?"

When the adolescents shook their heads, Constantina took a deep breath, breathing out slowly. "Well, " she finally said. "Let's go out for a stroll, shall we? Time to march to our deaths."

Exchanging expressions with each other, Danny and Billy finally shrugged as they followed Constantina down the rope ladder.

'''''''''''''''''''

Eastern area of Black Goat Woods

9 minutes later...

_~"My mother is so going to kill me,"~ _Constantina thought apprehensively as she continued to lead the adolescents on an uneventful trek toward the beach. Behind her, the adolescents were talking to each other, obviously excited about the prospect of seeing their friends again. Constantina listened carefully to the surrounding ambience as she sniffed the air, wishing that her senses were as sharp as those of a werewolf or that Marianna was with her. More often than not, a werewolf can easily sniff out incoming threats long before they even reveal themselves. Other than the unusually large flock of ravens flying overhead and the overall creepiness of the woods, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary... at least not yet.

As the group moved forward, Constantina caught a whiff of a pungent odor that reeked of rotten eggs. Danny smelled it too and distanced himself from Billy, followed by the others. "Phew, was that _you, _Billy?!" he said incredulously, fanning his face with a hand.

"If it was me, you would've heard it!" he growled. "Go ask Philip: he's the one who breaks wind silently."

"I'm way at the back!" Philip called out from behind the group.

Noticing a glint of red light ahead, Constantina turned toward the others. "Listen up, children," she said very firmly, her serious glare silencing all of the talking. "I'm going to go scout ahead. What I need you to do is to stay put. _Do not _go wandering off to take a whiz unless a partner is with you, _do not _make any loud noises, and if you see anything that's not human and is moving toward you with a purpose, scream as loud as you can and make a run for the tree house, _you hear me_? This can save your life."

"But we got weapons! We can _fight_!" Daniel whined.

Constantina stared so hard at the boy that he began to whimper like a girl. "If you wish to stand and fight, go ahead. I'm sure that the monsters wouldn't be too angry that you're shooting BB's at them." Without another word, Constantina left the group behind to stare confusedly at each other.

Making her way through the brush and weeds, Constantina pushed forward until she arrived at a road. On the other side of the pavement was a smaller dirt road that snaked its way uphill. The normalcy ended when Constantina saw red light shining from atop a hill decorated with strange eruptions of molten rock. Partly hidden by the trees, a lone building sat on the hill like a sentinel of doom, perhaps the Overlook Motel Billy spoke of. As strange objects flew rapidly in a circle high above the hill, distant wails and growls reached her ears, filling her with a sense of fear and dread. Not only was the rotten egg odor more prevalent here but a blast of dry heat washed over her face, quickly drying out her eyes. Blinking, Constantina was about to move closer to the strange phenomenon when she heard someone yell out behind her.

"Look guys, there's Lewis, one of the others who'd left yesterday! They came back!"

Quickly, Constantina ducked and ran full tilt back to the adolescents, her supernatural speed rushing her through the forest. After a few seconds, she slid to a halt, reaching the destination just in time to see the adolescents run off in one direction. Following their gazes, Constantina narrowed her eyes at what she saw.

Though the person the adolescents were running to appeared to be around their age, something was off about him. Instead of the normal human complexion, the adolescent has a sickly, whitish-green pallor and appeared to be soaking wet. Instead of the normal human gait, he was shambling like a broken machine. A low moan escaped from his lips as he looked up at his companions, his eyes as milky as the fog that covered this island hours ago. A breeze came from his direction, filling Constantina's nostrils with the scents of seawater... and death.

"_Everyone, get away from him right now!" _she pierced the air with her sharp screams. _"He's not who you think he is anymore!"_

Though most of the adolescents stopped in their tracks when they heard her screams, the other two, Philip and Jerome, continued to run toward who they perceived to be Lewis. "Lewis, it's us!" they were saying. "You came back! Where are the others? How'd you escaped?"

"_Stop this instant!" _Constantina screeched. Unfortunately, it was already too late.

The moment they got close enough, 'Lewis' gave off an animalistic howl and launched himself at Jerome. The sounds of crunching and screams filled the air when 'Lewis' sank his teeth into the adolescent's neck, spraying blood everywhere as he ripped through his throat muscles. Jerome screamed as he struggled to free himself as the others looked on with horror. Shaking herself to her senses, Constantina aimed her assault rifle at 'Lewis' and fired a concentrated burst of anima. The round tore a chunk of flesh off the zombie's shoulder, causing him to drop Jerome's lifeless body to the ground. With a howl of fury, the zombie launched himself at Philip, closing his teeth around his jugular before ripping it loose. A second anima burst blew a large piece of his skull off, splattering pieces of his brains everywhere. Stunned for a moment, the zombie flopping lifelessly to the ground, laying next to a dying Philip.

"Jesus Christ!" Danny swore loudly.

"I'm scared," Lucille whimpered.

"I want my mommy!" Billy whined.

Breathing slowly, Constantina turned toward the adolescents. "Now do you see why I wanted you all to stay in the tree house?" she chastised them. A tinge of shame at hounding them so soon after their friends' grisly deaths welled up inside her but she chose to ignore it. "You guys asked for this! Now that we know of the fates of your missing friends, we must go back to the safety of the town!"

"That's only _Lewis_!" Danny protested. "The others may be trapped somewhere-."

"If they are trapped somewhere, chances are they've already succumbed to the same fate as Lewis!" Constantina cut him off. She then sighed wearily as she massage a temple with a free hand. "_Look_, I understand that you and your friends are close but they're forever lost to you. What we need to do now is get to somewhere safe."

"But there is still hope!" Danny protested tearfully. Around him, the other adolescents was somber, some of them comforting those who were crying. "Some of them could've escaped being lured by the song, just as Billy have."

"If they have indeed escaped, we will meet them again. Right now, we need to-"

"Look, Lewis is getting back up!" Temperance shouted, pointing a finger. Indeed, Lewis' corpse was rising shakily off the ground.

"Wait, I thought zombies become dead, _dead_ when shot in the head!" Melvin shouted in surprise.

"Yeah, it always happened when I play Left 4 Dead," Billy agreed with him.

Constantina shook her head as she cursed their collective ignorance under her breath. As typical of humanity's incomplete knowledge and often biased half-truths concerning the supernatural, their movies often lie. Zombies are not guaranteed to stay dead after a shot to the head unless they suffer terminal damage, which included decapitation or having their brains blown off. Like the undead, ever-hungry machines they are, they will keep rising and coming until they are utterly neutralized.

Before Constantina could fire a shot, 'Lewis' sucked in a lung full of air and, to her chagrin, unleashed a piercing, bloodcurdling howl. The group covered their ears, especially Constantina, who gave a loud scream of her own. Finally, as quickly as it has begun, 'Lewis' stopping screaming. In the surrounding woods, similar howls answered in reply.

Cursing the disadvantages of having vampiric hearing, Constantina rubbed her ears fiercely just as 'Lewis' began to charge. Quickly aiming at the zombie, she held the gun as steady as she can as she directed a stream of bullets at 'Lewis' ' head, ripping off chunks of the skull until the now headless zombie collapsed to the ground.

"Oh god," Billy groaned as the howling became louder.

"Brace yourselves and hold nothing back!" Constantina yelled as her eyes traced over the adolescents' faces. "Show them no mercy, for they will give you none in return! Kill them all, no matter whose faces you recognize! They are no longer your friends but your eaters!" Constantina didn't realized that her mouth was wide open.

"Why are you wearing _fangs_?" Billy asked incredulously. "Isn't it a little early for the Halloween parade?"

Constantina quickly turned back toward the woods, hiding her embarrassment. "I was at a... um, _costume party_," she lied, muttering.

"It doesn't matter!" Danny shouted as he pointed toward the trees. "Here they come!"

Sure enough, no less than nineteen zombies burst out of the tree line and ran toward the group. Crouching onto one knee, Constantina peppered the nearest zombies with anima bullets as the adolescents attacked with their slingshots, BB guns, and crossbows. Though the rocks and BB's only managed to distract the zombies, they were no match for the crossbow bolts and anima bullets. A handful of them went down when the aforementioned projectiles pierced their skulls. However, the rest of them were coming at the group with a vengeance.

"Now, use the flamethrowers!" Constantina shouted as she sprayed the ground with bullets, damaging any zombies who were caught in the outburst. Immediately, Lucille and Melvin stepped forward, aiming their makeshift weapons at the zombies. Though they only consisted of water guns filled with a flammable liquid and having lit lighters taped to the nozzles, Constantina had no doubt that they will be very effective.

"Unleash hell!"

Immediately, twin jets of burning liquid washed over the approaching undead. The zombies' hungry howls soon erupted into yowls and screeches of agony as the flames began consuming their bodies.

"Oh god, I'm barbequing!" a zombie yelled, fraying his arms wildly. He then stopped and sniffed the air. "Hey, something smells good!"

"Water, water, water!" another zombie yelled.

"They can talk?!" Billy asked incredulously.

"_Duh_, they used to be people," Danny responded as he sent a BB through a zombie's eye. He then became confused. "Though I figured that they are supposed to be barely coherent."

"Quick, eat the humans before you burn up!" a female zombie suggested to her burning comrades.

Constantina quickly put a bullet through her skull, blowing her off her feet. "Over our dead bodies," she growled.

"Hey guys, let's get that one!" a male zombie shouted, pointing at Constantina with a rotting finger. "She looks like she'll be tastier than the others and she even smells different too!"

Cursing under her breath, Constantina gritted her teeth as the zombies zeroed in on her. Even the burning zombies stopped fraying around to join in on the attack. Firing controlled bursts, she knew that she wouldn't be able to kill them all before they overwhelmed her.

"They're after Constantina! We got to protect her!" Danny shouted to his friends. With renewed vigor, Danny and his friends attacked the zombies, putting some of them down. However, the zombies simply ignored them as they swarmed toward Constantina, who was at that moment was firing at them at point blank range. When the closest zombie made a grab for Constantina, he found himself grabbing air instead. Seconds later, he also found his head ripped off his body with a fierce kick.

Spinning around, Constantina broke another zombie's jaw with a spinning kick. Not giving the zombie a chance to recover, Constantina leaped into the air and slammed a dropkick into his chest, knocking him into his friends and causing them to fall to the ground. Landing on her feet, Constantina was just kicking a zombie off her feet when another zombie grabbed her arm. Before she could react, the zombie sank his teeth into her left shoulder, drawing a gush of blood as his teeth gripped around a chuck of her skin and flesh. Screaming, she slammed a fist into his face before he could rip the mouthful out, caving it in with her superhuman strength. Yanking her bloodied fist out of the hole in his face, Constantina then tried her best to ignore the excruciating pain as she attacked the remaining zombies with a merciless fury. Soon, the group stood over the bodies of the zombies, panting and sweating profusely.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Danny took a look at the zombie bite on Constantina's shoulder. "Oh man," he said apprehensively. "You've been bitten! In just a few hours, you will die and become a zombie. It'd always happened in the movies."

Despite her fatigue, Constantina surprised him with a chuckle. The ignorance of human horror movies clearly knows no bounds. Only the jiangshi or Chinese vampires are capable of turning humans into more of themselves with a bite. "You have nothing to worry about," she finally said.

"But that's what the bitten people always say in the movies-."

"You'll find out otherwise soon enough, I promise. Right now, we should get to town before more zombies come."

"The Overlook Motel is much closer!" Melvin protested. "As fast as those zombies were traveling, we wouldn't make it back to town, anyway."

Constantina thought about what she saw at the motel. "A little bird told me that going to the motel is a very bad idea."

"Birds can talk now?!" Billy asked incredulously.

Constantina sighed deeply, wishing that she'd been teleported to another area that's free of children. "It's just a metaphor. Anyway, let's go back to town. We have no time to-"

Constantina was cut off when the ground between her and Danny and the rest of the group erupted. Constantina yelped when she was thrown back, landing on the ground with a thud. The air was filled with dust and the screeches of something that was huge, ancient, and very, very hungry. Getting back up, Constantina's eyes bulged when she got a better look at the monster which suddenly burst out of the ground. Of all the creatures she'd learned about when she was younger, she didn't have any clue about what this monster is. Resembling a huge bug with four legs that ended in sickles, the monsters' two huge, bat-like wings was fused into a single entity via the raggedy membrane. Its mandibles and multiple tongues whirled hungrily as its six eyes darted from person to person, already sizing up who would become its first meal.

"Get back, everyone!" Constantina yelled to the others, firing on the monster. The anima bullets were barely penetrating its thick carapace. The monster turned to face Constantina, growling a challenge. "Quick, run toward the town! I'll keep it at bay!"

"We can't leave you alone!" Danny protested. "You'll get killed!"

"There's nothing you kids can do anyway, even with your weapons! I'm barely damaging it with mine!"

"Then we would have to burn it up!" Danny turned to Melvin and Lucille. "Quick guys, set it on fire!"

"Bloody hell, Danny, I said go-!" Constantina was interrupted when the two adolescents sprayed down the monster with burning liquid. Caught ablaze, the monster wildly frayed its claws around in a frenzy, its shrieks of agony and fury echoing throughout the woods.

Constantina swore loudly in the ancient vampiric language when the creature charged toward her. Barely cart-wheeling out the way to avoid a claw slash, Constantina ducked to dodge a back claw and raised her gun, firing point blank at its face. Though the monster's elongated head was armored like the rest of its body, a few anima bullets scored some lucky hits on two of its left eyes, gouging into them. Howling in fury, the monster rammed her. Knocked backward, Constantina grunted when she bumped into Danny and landed on her bottom. As the monster frayed around in fury, Constantina narrowed her eyes when she noticed that she was sitting on something warm. Turning around, she noticed that Danny was lying on his back, his face as red as a ripe tomato and his eyes glazed over. A small stream of blood was running from one of his nostrils. Quickly realizing what was going on, Constantina's face also became flustered.

_She was sitting in Danny's lap._

"Oh Gaia, I-I didn't mean to do that!" she quickly apologized as she got off of him and helped him up. "Forgive me!"

Still blushing, Danny cast an embarrassed stare at the other adolescents. Fortunately, they were so preoccupied with harrying the monster that neither of them noticed. "Don't tell anyone," he warned, turning back to Constantina. "Especially not Carter. Trust me, you do _not_ want to see her get angry."

"Who's Carter?" Constantina asked him.

Danny gave a dreamily sigh, smiling warmly. "Carter is this girl I really like. Of course, she goes to Innsmouth, which is like this huge private school for the rich, so I can't easily go to visit her in person. However, she's really smart so she'll know what this monster is-" Danny froze when he saw Constantina's left shoulder. Not only was the bite completely healed but there was not even a visible scar. In an instant, his tired but mellow mood turned into that of confusion and apprehension. "W-who are you...?"

Constantina reached for Danny, only for the latter to back away, quickly aiming his BB gun at her face. "Wait, I'm not going to hurt you." she tried to calm him. "I am no enemy."

"Then why are you here?" Danny questioned, his hands shaking. "Why are you helping us? You'd even seemed to know that Lewis was a zombie. On top of that, your gun shoots just fine, yet it doesn't even eject spent cartridges. Are you even human?"

Staring at Danny, Constantina finally sighed, debating on whether it's a good idea to just kill this human to keep her secret safe. "Yes, yes I'm a human, sort of," she lied as she continue to weave the tall tale. "However, I should make this very clear to you that what I am about to tell you is strictly top-secret. You see, my real name is XT-347 and I am designed by an undisclosed branch of the Department of Homeland Security. I am specialized in the complete eradication of hostile crytobioforms, as well as the absolute erasure of all evidence of their existence. I am the combination of your well spent taxpayer dollars and all-American ingenuity and kickassery. Like the G.I. Joes and... eh, the Smurfs, I wasn't born but is simply government issued, as evidenced by my *ahem* 'dramatic entrance' earlier."

Under normal circumstances, even Melody wouldn't buy into her stories. However, Danny Dufresne was clearly cut from a totally different cloth. His face lit up as if he was looking at the very culmination of all his childhood fantasies about action movies and cute girls. However, he wasn't completely suckered. "If you're made in the United States, how come you have a British accent?"

Constantina shrugged. "Is Arnold Schwarzenegger Austrian? Is Jean Claude Van Dame French? Are Mario and Luigi Italians?"

With a starry-eyed look on his face, Danny grinned like a schoolgirl and lowered his weapon. "This is so awesome!" he breathed, holding his chest with a hand. "You're really cool, XT- _I mean Constantina_! For a moment there, I thought that you could've been a vampire or something."

Constantina froze in sheer shock, horrified at Danny's comment. "Ah..., what would you've done if I was said vampire, not that I'm a vampire, of course? I'm just an American-made killing machine, that is all." she asked, shaking visibly.

Danny shrugged. "Maybe try to kill you or burn you up or some other stuff. Vampires are evil, at least that's what Buffy, Van Helsing and Blade always say."

Her fear quickly gave way to sheer fury at yet another example of human bias and ignorance. Barely able to keep her rising anger in check, she was about to say something when a loud screech grabbed both her and Danny's attention, causing both to turn and look. Having endured more than what it can handle, the monster gave off a death cry before collapsing, a putrid odor rising from its burning body. Fortunately, none of the other adolescents were harmed.

"That was way too easy," Billy commented, a tinge of disappointment on his face. "That wendigo we fought two months ago lasted much longer."

"That's because it wasn't burning up," Temperance reminded him.

"I don't think we would've been able to kill this, whatever it is, even if the others were still with us," Daniel added.

"I told you guys, that thing was an A'kab," Lucille pointed out, coughing. "Legends say that they've been lying in wait underground, right below these woods, ready to resurface when the end of the world approaches."

Constantina wrinkled a brow. It was no wonder there were almost no information on the A'kab; the race of monsters was not only localized to this particular region but few if any people have even seen them, much less studied them. Taking out her phone, Constantina went over to the burning A'kab corpse and took a picture, holding her breath as the odor that arose was not only unbearable but was carried off by the wind. It smelled of rotten eggs and spoilt meat. The odor was making Constantina feel woozy. Strangely, though, none of the human youth were bothered by the odor, only remarking that the A'kab 'smelled like fried chicken'.

"If Lucille is correct," Constantina spoke, turning to face the adolescents. "That means that these woods are no longer safe. We must go to a safer place."

"In that case, we'll just take the escape tunnel that cuts through the mountain that's just north of here," Billy suggested, pointing in the indicated direction. "We'll reached it quicker compared to running back to Kingsmouth and it'll lead us straight to Blue Mountain. We'll be safer there."

'No, you must go back to the town!" Constantina objected. "There's no telling what awaits you at the other end of the tunnel or even within the tunnel itself! You could be walking to your death!"

"The tunnel is a hell lot safer than Kingsmouth!" Billy growled. "You don't think that what happened here isn't what's happening in town now, do you?! The town is probably crawling with zombies!"

Constantina tuned to Danny. "Please, you must listen to me!" she pleaded. "I understand that you've prepared for this some time ago but it could be more than what you can handle. You must lead the others back to the town!"

"Geez, you sound like the adults...," Billy grumbled.

"Please, you must lead the others to safety."

When everyone looked to him expectantly, Danny was so overwhelmed that he could barely speak. Sure both choices seemed to be good but he wasn't sure which one was right. Up until now, he'd haven't really been expected to make a decision that would determine the fate of the League, especially when a wrong choice would mean certain death. He was holding the fates of his friends in his hands and the thought was making him queasy.

"I... I..., " was all he could say.

Before Danny could say any more; however, everyone whirred around to face a chorus of chattering and screeches that rang out from the west. In the distance, the sounds of footsteps was getting closer by the second. Constantina deducted that the monsters will be upon them in five minutes.

"Those screeches sound like that A'kab we'd just killed,' Billy muttered, glancing at the now smoking body of the creature. "How in the world did they know to find us?"

"Maybe they heard their friend screaming in pain," Melvin suggested. "Heck, they probably smell him frying. He does smell like chicken, after all."

Billy shook his head. "Nah, it wasn't screaming _that _loud and its friends would have to be much closer to hear it. In that case, we would've seen them by now."

Constantina looked at the A'kab's smoldering body. Though the strange odor was almost completely dissipated, Constantina recalled a biology lesson she'd learned when she was younger. Apparently, when a bee is killed, especially when crushed, it releases a pheromone that draws the other bees onto the attacker. If such a mechanism was similar to that of this A'kab, Constantina feared that its friends were now closing in with a vengeance, possibly in an enraged state.

Even with her help, the League of Monster Slayers won't stand a chance.

"We must head for the tunnel, now!" Billy shouted above the rising din. "It'll take us only two minutes to reach the tunnel and it's too small for an A'kab! You would have to run for ten minutes to reach the town and, by that, time, they would've already caught you."

Danny thought for a moment as he contemplated. Finally, he looked up at Constantina and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Constantina," he muttered, only heard by Constantina's heightened hearing. "I must lead the others through the tunnel to Blue Mountain. Going to the town is too risky and the town could be swarming with zombies. Perhaps you can cover us while we make it to safety."

With an exasperated sigh, Constantina facepalmed. Looking at the other adolescents, she saw that their attention was grabbed by the approaching A'kab. Knowing that none of them would witness what she have to do next, Constantina placed her hands on Danny's shoulders, causing him to looked up. Closing her eyes, she opened them again, revealing purple irises. Danny's eyes glazed over as he became entranced by the stare.

"You must do as I say and run back to Kingsmouth to find a safe place to stay. Kill anything that tries to kill and to eat you," she began, hypnotizing Danny. "Don't look back and don't rest until you are safe and sound. "

"I... must go back to town...," he intoned before going in the direction of Kingsmouth in a run, his finger already curled around the trigger of his weapon. Soon, he disappeared among the trees, his friends not realizing that he was gone, at least not yet.

"Let's go, guys!" Billy shouted, motioned with his BB gun. "We have to make a break for the tunnel! The A'kab will be on us in minutes! Let's go, Danny, we..." Billy looked over his shoulder, only to find that Danny was nowhere in sight. He then turned to Constantina, confusion and anxiety written on his face. "W-where's Danny?"

"He decided to go back to Kingsmouth," she said. "You guys must go back as well. I'll buy you some time."

"Is Danny out of his mind?! He won't make it back and neither would we!"

Suddenly, no less than five A'kab burst out of the tree line and into view. The mere sight of them was enough to unnerve even the most experienced combatant. Twisted creatures of North American folklore and legend, their were as frightening as they were hungry. The biggest of them, a greenish A'kab whose single wing was replaced with crude growths that resembled tree branches, wasted no time zeroing on the adolescents, its smaller kin following after it.

"Everyone to the tunnel!" Billy barked as he fired BB's at the A'kab, the projectiles falling short of the targets, even if he was firing accurately. "Melvin and Lucille, create a wall of fire. Maybe that'll slow them down."

As the adolescents made a run for the tunnel, Constantina laid down suppressing fire on the A'kab. Though their carapaces provided limited protection, the hail of bullets were seeping into their vulnerable sections and gill-like structures, tearing through the sensitive flesh. However, the A'kab only slowed down slightly and, judging by their speeds, Constantina knew that they would either dash through the flames Lucille and Melvin were spreading or would simply jump over them. Realizing that the A'kab will be upon the adolescents in seconds, Constantina looked at the A'kab's burnt corpse and went over to it, an idea already forming in her head.

Mucus flying from its mouth and slender tongues, the A'kab leader reached the flames within a few strides. With a screech, it leaped over the twin lines of fire, already zeroing in on a short boy named Simon, who was at the rear of the fleeing group. Just as it was about to take a second leap that would doom the boy; however, a bullet ricocheted off its armored head, grabbing its full attention and causing it to stop in its tracks. When it turned toward the source of the interruption, the A'kab leader saw a blonde-haired female holding up a charred limb ripped from its kin's burnt body and gave off a loud screech of hatred and anger.

Wearing a murderous sneer, Constantina bared her fangs at the A'kab as Billy led the adolescents toward the tunnel. Her smile deepened when the rest of the A'kab also saw her. Licking her lips in mock hunger, Constantina opened her mouth and took a huge bite off the burnt flesh, hoping to infuriate the A'kab further. Unfortunately, the A'kab's limb was still juicy and Constantina heaved when a gush of bitter juices flowed down her esophagus. Unable to take it anymore, Constantina bent over and vomited on the burnt A'kab's corpse. In front of her, she could swear that the other A'kab were holding their collective breath.

Still feeling nauseous, Constantina shook visibly as she took off the chaos focus and strapped on the blood magic focus. Laughing derisively while at the same time cursing her foolish action, Constantina cocked her gun as she faced down the even more furious A'kab, who began to circle her to cut off every possible route of escape. In the distance, Billy and the rest of the League finally disappeared from sight.

"Okay, you bug-eyed, stinking cockroaches," she finally said as the circle of A'kab began to get smaller by the second. If she survives this, her mother is so going to kill her. "I would say that a huge can of Raid would be sufficient to kill you off but I daresay that a 'Censored' sign over your faces and a little deodorant will at least allow you to die in dignity."

Unable to take any more insults, the A'kab rushed toward her at once, their sickle-shaped talons chewing up the moist ground. Hoping that this wasn't a very bad plan, Constantina spun around on a heel and unleashed anima bullets and boiling blood in every direction, hoping to buy time for both Danny and the rest of the League. However, it was very clear that this is going to be an extremely tough fight.

To be continued...


End file.
